


searching for absolution in some place i haven't found

by snowglobes



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee, SuperM (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst with a Happy Ending, Background Relationships, Biting, Blood Drinking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Major Character Injury, Minor Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Minor Character Death, Minor Lee Taeyong/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Slow Burn, Violence, Weapons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-21 06:44:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 47,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21070607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowglobes/pseuds/snowglobes
Summary: All Luhan wants to do is escape his past. Instead, he stumbles into his future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was so much fun to work on and write. Thanks to the mods for putting together a great fest!! I swear this started out as purely lukai but Jongin looked me dead in the eyes and said "Taemin and I are married, fix it." You try saying no to those puppy eyes.
> 
> If you catch the reference to Taemin's Move you're the real mvp.

Luhan stumbled to his knees, tripping over a root, and panted into the dirt on all fours, trying to summon the strength to stand. Each breath seared, his ribs protesting violently with every movement. The adrenaline was wearing off, and with it his will to keep running, keep moving. Saliva was thick and metallic tasting, and he spat trying to clear it from his mouth. 

It was too dark in the woods to see anything, but he didn’t need to see the ground to know he’d just spat out blood. He could feel it dripping down his chin from the gash in his bottom lip, looking up through stringy, sweaty hair to try and spot the light he’d been chasing for the last few minutes. Light meant people, and while it was probably too risky to encounter anyone, he could feel his shirt damp and sticky against the cut in his side. 

He was losing too much blood. He had to get to help _somewhere._

He reached for the tree next to him, leaning against it as he got back to his feet. _There._ The light. He forced his feet to move, one in front of the other, clutching at his ribs and side, trying to stop the bleeding as he struggled to keep moving forward. His focus narrowed to the light, mindlessly weaving around trees that got in his way, stumbling through the dark of the forest toward that light until the trees were thinning and the dirt gave way to cool, well-trimmed grass. 

One light turned into several, and Luhan realized he’d managed to find a house in the woods. Black crept into the edges of his vision, quickly spreading until he collapsed under the strain his body could no longer handle. 

The last thing he was aware of was the feeling of damp grass under his palms as he tried to break his fall. 

There was a moment, between sleep and waking, where Luhan thought he was back at the compound. His eyes flew open, panic surging through his veins, adrenaline spiking his heartrate as he flailed beneath silk sheets. He sat upright, his body screaming at him as muscles pulled against injuries and he swept his gaze around the room he was in. 

He wasn’t at the compound. There was no way. 

The room he was in was stark white, the floors a dark wood covered in dark blue rugs. The bed he was in was soft, plush, sheets and duvet a crisp, clean white. His eyes stung as the bright morning sun flooding the room through east facing windows reflected off the white walls and bed. 

But if he wasn’t at the compound, where was he? He didn’t remember being brought here, and while his body was begging him to relax back into the soft, warm pillows, his panic urged him out of the bed, an action that had him clutching at his ribs as they screamed in pain. His hand encountered nothing but bare skin, and a glance down confirmed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt, but there were large squares of gauze taped to his skin, his cuts and deeper wounds bandaged by somebody. 

The rest of his clothes were gone. A quick scan of his body proved that the underwear and light linen pants he was wearing weren’t his, and he quickly started searching for his clothes, his backpack, _something._

The room held nothing except a simple grey t-shirt at the foot of the bed which he struggled into with much protest from his ribs. He had at _least_ a few fractured ribs. He couldn’t leave without his backpack, but that meant venturing beyond the room and while he was helpless no matter what, there was at least the illusion of safety with a door between him and the rest of wherever he was. 

But he hadn’t gotten himself this far only to be afraid now. 

His body protested each movement he made as he walked to the door. He needed to let himself rest, but his paranoia and anxiety weren’t going to let him do that until he _knew_ he was safe. People who had done what he’d had to do didn’t have the luxury of _relaxing._

The bedroom door opened into an empty hallway. The room he’d been in was at the very end, so he turned left and cautiously crept down the hall, his hands curled into fists and at the ready. The hallway opened onto a landing, stairs leading up and down. He went down, hoping that would lead to the main floor and a front door. He was dismayed to find that while it did lead to the main floor, it also appeared to be rather large, probably about the same size as the compound, although much sleeker and nicer. All the décor was warm and inviting, plush rugs in soothing earth tones covering wooden floors stained a deep mahogany. 

He explored, his senses on high alert as he searched for his belongings and evidence of other humans but had so far come up empty on both accounts. Until he walked into the kitchen. 

“Oh, you’re awake!” 

Luhan jumped a mile, whirling around and barely managing to stop his fist from connecting with a very surprised face. “Where am I?” he demanded, settling for grabbing the stranger by the shirt and hauling him close, reaching for a paring knife on the kitchen counter and holding it to the stranger’s neck. “Who are you?” 

“Relax.” Calm, brown eyes looked steadily down into his own. “You’re safe here.” 

“Where. Am. I.” Luhan pressed the tip of the knife against the skin of his neck, digging in and turning the skin around it white. 

Instead of the typical panic reaction of having a knife pressed to one’s throat, the man in his grasp smirked. “You’re welcome to try harming me with that, although it’s not silver; it’s hardly going to do anything.” 

Luhan’s pain hazy mind took a second longer to process that then he would have liked, jumping back and taking up a defensive position again despite the screaming of his injuries, his senses on high alert because _vampire._

He’d never encountered one before, but he knew enough about them to know that if he was impervious to knives that weren’t silver Luhan was in deep shit, even if it looked like the man standing calmly in front of him was far from a demonic creature of death and destruction. 

“Where are my things?” he demanded, holding the knife out in front of him, trying not to show the trembling in his arm as his muscles protested. “Let me leave.” 

The vampire furrowed his eyebrows, critically eyeing Luhan. “Absolutely not. You can barely stand; I’m surprised you’ve made it this far without passing out.” 

The knife slipped between his fingers; his hand too weak to grip anything. Time seemed to slow as he watched the knife fall, point down, right for his foot. The vampire’s hand flashed for the knife almost faster than his eyes could track, nicking it mid-air. “This only proves my point,” he said calmly, setting the knife back on the counter. “Now, will you please return to your bed? You shouldn’t be moving.” 

“I want to leave,” Luhan insisted. The vampire across from him—and now that he knew where to look, he could see the slightly sharper canines when he talked, the golden shimmer to his irises—didn’t seem overtly intent on harming him, but Luhan was helpless and vulnerable and in _no _state to be dealing with a vampire. 

“Tell you what. Let me get you healed up, and then if you still want to leave, you’ll be more than welcome to go. I won’t stop you.” He folded his arms across his chest, sleek but powerful muscles shifting under the simple sweater he was wearing. 

It was enough for Luhan’s instincts to kick into overdrive, his most primal senses screaming _predator, danger,_ a primordial terror sweeping through him as the vampire casually leaned his hip against the counter, his golden-brown eyes never leaving Luhan; studying, assessing. He thought the compound had trained any fear out of him, but clearly, they’d failed. He wasn’t sure instinct this deep could _be_ overpowered. 

“Let me go,” he breathed, trying not to squeak as the urge to _run run run_ flooded through him. He couldn’t run if he tried, right now, and the helplessness of his situation rushed through him again. 

“I will, once you can take a breath without it feeling like a knife is stabbing into your lungs.” 

Luhan swayed, his body too overwhelmed by terror, pain, and exhaustion to stand any longer. He—for lack of a better word—_swooned_ like a distressed damsel, his knees folding out from under him and the beautiful oak flooring rushing toward his face, when he was caught by strong arms. 

He _thrashed, _new panic surging through him because holy _shit_ the vampire was going to eat him and he was going to _die, _and he hadn’t even _lived _yet, not really, and of all the ways to go it couldn’t be this way. It was _too _ironic. 

“Easy there, little wildcat,” the vampire hummed, holding him tightly against a warm chest and pinning his limbs, firm enough to make him wheeze in pain as his ribs protested, but not enough to injure him further. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” 

“I don’t believe you,” Luhan panted, desperately trying to slow his breathing to take strain off his ribs. “You’re a _vampire.”_

A nose brushed along the skin of his neck, making him flinch violently. “I’m also the one who undoubtedly saved your life. If I was going to eat you, I wouldn’t have bothered patching you up.” His voice was a soft hum against the shell of his ear, deep and oddly soothing. “Relax, wildcat. You’re safe.” 

And against every instinct, everything he’d ever learned saying not to _ever_ trust a vampire, he was so _tired. _He’d been running for so long, his body pushed to its limits and then beyond, and it was that small, weak, pathetic part of him that said, “Okay,” and sagged against the body pressed behind him. 

The world spun as he was gently lifted and cradled against the vampire’s firm, warm chest; carried like a child back upstairs to the room he’d woken up in. The vampire set him down gently, arranging the pillows and blankets until he was tucked in snuggly, running gentle fingers through the dirty, grimy mess of his hair. 

Luhan was too exhausted to protest the touch, the pain too difficult to think around, and he fluttered his eyes open to look into pools of liquid gold. 

“Sleep, little wildcat,” the vampire whispered, a heavy feeling settling over his limbs. “Heal.” 

Luhan managed to blink his eyes open once more, just long enough to see the vampire skirt around the patches of sunlight as he left the room, the door clicking shut behind him the last thing Luhan remembered before sleep claimed him. 

The next time he woke it was dark. 

He didn’t immediately panic this time, remembering how he’d ended up where he was, his encounter with the vampire. 

Fuck. 

The vampire. 

Luhan tried sitting up, a whimper escaping him as the pain made its presence known. He felt better, though. More aware and _hungry._

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. 

His stomach cramping with hunger finally drove him into motion, and he wondered exactly how long he’d been asleep. He was still in the same clothes he’d woken up in last time, and a hand through his hair showed that _yep_ it was still gross. His desire for a shower was overridden by his need for food, though, and he promised himself he could explore the spacious bathroom attached to his bedroom once he’d eaten. He’d hopefully have enough strength to do both. 

His backpack, he noted, had found its way to the floor by the foot of the bed, easing some of his anxiety. 

Luhan made it to the landing of the stairs before the vampire found him. 

“You look better,” a voice said in his ear. 

Luhan flinched and spun around, wounds protesting the sudden movement. The vampire held his hands up by his head, no doubt trying to appear unthreatening. Luhan scoffed internally. Everything vampires did was threatening. He too was wearing the same clothing from before, and Luhan hoped that meant he’d only slept the day away. 

“Don’t do that,” Luhan scowled, reaching out to lean against the railing of the landing for support. “It’s creepy.” 

The vampire lowered his hands, a smile spreading slowly across his handsome features. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Luhan’s stomach growled, audibly. 

His smile widened, showing pointed canines. “Of course, you need to eat. Come, I’ll cook you something.” 

“I can fend for myself,” Luhan replied, huffing. 

The vampire’s gaze lingered on the places where he’d been cut, his ribs. If Luhan had any doubt who patched him up, that single knowing look solved it. “Clearly.” 

He hated vampires. 

He did an awkward crab walk along the banister, unwilling to take his eyes off the vampire, only to nearly fall down the stairs when the banister gave way to them, his foot slipping off the top step. 

He was scooped up into the vampire’s arms, saved from a nasty fall but _furious_ all the same. “Put me down!” 

“I think not.” 

Luhan blinked, then screeched in alarm when air rushed past him and they were suddenly in the kitchen. 

“It’s faster if I take you myself.” 

“What the fuck.” 

“Nifty right?” The vampire walked to the large oak table at the far end of the kitchen, setting Luhan down in a chair like he was wounded. “It’s been a few years since I’ve needed to cook for a human, so your options are limited.” 

“If you show me where the food is, I can make something myself.” 

“Mmmm.” 

Luhan wasn’t even surprised when the vampire ignored him and started putting fresh ingredients into a pot, assembling the beginnings of a soup. The curious part of him wondered why a creature that didn’t eat human food had it in his house. He wasn’t curious enough to ask, though. 

Luhan let the vampire cook and stared out the window to his left. It was dark outside, so he couldn’t make out much other than the looming shadows of trees, but it was something to look at other than the vampire, so he kept his gaze resolutely fixed outside the window. 

The distinct sound of a door closing somewhere in the house had Luhan looking sharply toward the entrance of the kitchen, bracing his hands on the table, ready to stand at a moment’s notice. 

“Jongin?” A voice called. 

“Kitchen!” the vampire called back. 

Apparently, it had a name. 

A second later a head peeked around the corner, and Jongin set down a ladle in favor of crossing to the entrance, a warm smile on his face. “Minseok! I didn’t know you had plans to stop by.” 

Minseok stepped easily into Jongin’s arms, wrinkling his nose as he pulled away. “Why are you cooking?” 

Jongin twitched his head in Luhan’s direction. “I found a stray.” 

Luhan tensed as two pairs of eyes focused on him, feeling pinned. The one called Minseok was openly studying him, it seemed, so Luhan took a moment to be brave and do the same. He was smaller than Jongin, his hair jet black with a severe undercut, his eyes beautifully tapered at the corners. His lips pulled away from his teeth in a smile that Luhan supposed was meant to be friendly, but all he could see were the pointed teeth, and that sort of killed any illusion of friendship for Luhan. 

“Funny you should mention strays,” Minseok began, still observing Luhan. “I found one of my own.” 

A _second_ head popped around the entrance, vibrant red hair the only thing Luhan saw at first. 

Jongin went back to stirring the soup. “No.” 

“I haven’t asked anything!” 

Jongin gave Minseok a flat look over his shoulder. “I don’t do that anymore, Min.” 

“Oh?” Minseok looked at Luhan pointedly. “Then what is he?” 

“Fully capable of hearing your conversation, for starters,” Luhan said like a man possessed with a death-wish. 

The red-haired vampire hissed softly at him. “Food should be seen and not heard.” 

Luhan’s mouth shut with an audible click as several things happened at once. Minseok whirled on Red and said, “Taeyong, no!”, Jongin dropped the ladle with a startling lack of grace—uncharacteristic of him, from what Luhan had seen so far—and Taeyong cowered as Minseok frowned in displeasure. 

“He _does _need work,” Jongin hummed, glancing at Luhan from the corner of his eye and picking up the ladle, dishing soup into a bowl he procured. 

“If I thought I could teach Taeyong by myself I would, but you’re the best with fledglings and vampires without a coven.” 

Jongin walked over and placed a spoon and the bowl of soup in front of Luhan, patting him on the head absently and turning back to Minseok. ”I’m retired, you know that.” 

Luhan took a careful sip of soup. It was simple, a little bland, but good enough for his starved body. 

“It’s not going to be like it was with him, Jongin,” Minseok said softly. 

“Don’t mention _him_ in my house.” Jongin snapped, ferociously enough that Luhan and Taeyong both winced, although Taeyong looked more visibly upset. Luhan had been trained to not be afraid of vampires, and regardless of how successful that training had been, it took more than Jongin snapping to jangle his nerves. 

He ignored the traitorous racing of his heart. 

“You have to move on at some point, Jongin,” Minseok reasoned, folding his arms and frowning. ”It’s been nearly two decades.” 

Luhan shoveled more soup into his mouth, trying to eat as quickly as possible to escape whatever weird vampire drama he was clearly witnessing. 

“Drop it,” Jongin replied, busying himself by tidying up the kitchen. 

“You’re the best teacher of our customs and traditions, please teach him,” Minseok said, after a tense minute of silence. Taeyong peaked around Minseok, and Luhan watched curiously as Jongin looked between them both for a long moment. 

“Fine,” Jongin relented with a huff. “Set him up in one of the basement rooms.” He shifted his gaze to Taeyong, pinning him in place. “As for you, fledgling, you’re restricted to the basement and main floor. I don’t want you near him.” Jongin gestured to Luhan, who blinked in surprise. 

His heart rate picked up again as three sets of vampire eyes settled on him. 

“Okay,” Taeyong said softly, his shoulders curling in slightly. 

“Who _is _your human, Jongin?” Minseok’s cat-like eyes narrowed. “You don’t typically keep humans around.” 

“You haven’t been by in like five years. I could have changed!” 

“Not on this. You find humans to be noisy and disruptive.” 

Well, Luhan was _definitely_ that. He finished the last of his soup and slammed his spoon on the table. “This noisy human can hear you,” he griped, unsure where the sudden bravery was coming from in the face of three creatures that probably wanted to eat him. He stood slowly, careful of his wounds. He felt better after eating, but also sleepy. “And I would like it to be known that I will not be a snack for anyone in this house.” 

The corner of Jongin’s mouth quirked up. “Of course not, wildcat. You’re safe here.” 

“You call him _wildcat?” _Minseok’s grin was nearly feral. “Oh, I can’t _wait _to tell Baekhyun and Jongdae about this. They’re gonna die.” 

“They’re already dead,” Jongin quipped, fighting a smile as Minseok groaned. “And he hasn’t told me his name.” 

Luhan realized with a start that he _hadn’t. _Then again, he didn’t owe vampires shit. He eyed the doorway, partially blocked by the fledgling vampire, and wondered if it would be suicidal to tempt fate by walking past him. 

Jongin must have seen where his gaze was fixed and caught on to the determination in his eyes because he moved to his side immediately and scooped him up. “No you don’t, wildcat. You’re not going to walk right past a fledgling smelling like you do.” 

“Should I even bother telling you to put me down?” Luhan sighed, putting in a token effort at struggling. He was so tired, ready to sleep, and Jongin was very warm. It was difficult not to relax against him immediately. 

“Save your breath,” Jongin answered, whisking him from the kitchen and to his bedroom in a couple of heartbeats. 

“Thank you for the food,” Luhan said quietly, as Jongin was setting him in bed and tucking him under the covers. 

Jongin blinked down at him once, twice, his eyes flooding with gold. “You’re welcome.” 

“Am I safe, with the other vampires around?” he ventured. He wasn’t sure he wanted to succumb to sleep if there was a chance he might be attacked at some point. 

“I’ll make sure of it.” 

Luhan pondered what Jongin had said to him the next morning when he woke, his brain spinning through the vampire’s possible motivations, what he wanted from Luhan, if he was _truly_ safe with three vampires in the same house. 

It was that last musing that had him rising despite the protests from his body and working through what stretches he could to try and remind his body that he _was_ a fighter. He only made it through half of his stretches and a few painful warm-up kicks before his body screamed at him to stop. 

He _hurt._ He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so out of action because of a few broken ribs, but it _had _been a while since he’d done poorly enough during training at the compound to sustain injuries. 

He was out of practice with pain. 

There was a knock at his door. He had just enough time to look at the door before Jongin was peeking his head around it. “I heard you whimper, you okay?” 

Right. Stupid fucking vampire hearing. ”I’m fine, just stiffer this morning.” Truth, if not all of it. 

Jongin squinted like he _knew _Luhan was lying as he stepped into the room. “Would you like to shower?” 

“Hell yeah,” Luhan whispered, his enthusiasm to get clean overriding the constant fear proximity with a vampire gave him. 

Jongin moved too quickly for him to track, although the sound of the shower starting up gave away his location. 

“Will you be okay showering by yourself? Or would you like my help?” 

“Fuck off,” Luhan hissed, shoving past Jongin in the doorway to the bathroom and slamming the door in his face. Realistically, a wooden door wasn’t going to stop him, but it was so _satisfying._ Stupid, but satisfying. 

“Take off the bandages before getting in!” Jongin called through the door. 

Luhan grabbed a tube of toothpaste and threw it at the door, then carefully did as Jongin directed. 

The water was perfect when he finally stepped under the spray—stupid, _stupid_ vampire—and he couldn’t suppress the small moan of happiness as water rinsed away days of sweat and grime. He took his time, in part because it still hurt to move too much, but also because he wanted to have a moment to let his guard down a little. 

It was clear that Jongin wasn’t an immediate threat, but he rather felt like that was like saying a bomb wasn’t dangerous because the countdown was frozen. He was just waiting for the bomb to go off. 

He needed a plan. 

It wasn’t smart to rely on the kindness of this vampire when he could still become food at any given moment. No matter how nice he seemed, Luhan’s mistrust of vampires ran deep and had been trained into him for long enough that he would always harbor it, no matter how nice the vampire may be. 

He could still snap Luhan like a twig. 

It would take weeks for his ribs to heal, and he wouldn’t be able to escape until then. He also needed to figure out where exactly he was, and if anyone was looking for him. Luckily, a vampire’s den was the last place they’d look, so he was safe enough from one threat for now. Still didn’t change the fact that he was at the mercy of a vampire. 

Humanity’s greatest enemy. His fingers itched for his knives, buried somewhere at the bottom of his backpack. 

He washed his hair twice with shampoo that smelled of lavender, scrubbed his entire body as thoroughly as he could before stepping out. There was a rack of pristine white towels, softer than anything Luhan had ever used before. Unease dripped down his back when he noticed his clothes had been replaced with freshly clean garments for him to change in to. 

He hadn’t even noticed someone entering, and the reminder that if Jongin ever wanted to hurt him he probably wouldn’t see it coming was chilling. 

Jongin was waiting on his bed when he stepped out of the bathroom, a first aid kit in his hands. “Take off your shirt; let me take a look at those wounds.” 

Luhan hissed, backing away. “Hell no.” 

The vampire rolled his eyes, getting up smoothly and crowding Luhan into the wall. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just let me look. Make sure everything is healing properly.” 

“I don’t care; don’t touch me.” 

“If you let me look at them, I won’t bother you for the rest of the day.” 

Jongin was barely a few inches away, but not touching him at all. It was infuriating, how seemingly polite he was. It was a tempting offer, too. Luhan rolled it over in his mind. But no matter how he looked at it, he could use a few hours to himself to take stock of his situation without the vampire poking his head in every hour. 

“Fine,” he conceded. He followed Jongin to sit gingerly on the edge of the bed, struggling out of his shirt. He hissed as Jongin’s cold fingers prodded gently at the cut along his ribs, flinching away. 

“Oh, my apologies.” Jongin pulled his fingers away, then placed them back on his skin, now pleasantly warm. “Better?” 

Luhan elected to remain silent, staring at the wall as Jongin gently re-bandaged his cuts. 

“Don’t move too much,” Jongin instructed, leaning back as Luhan tugged his shirt back on. “No strenuous activity.” 

He rolled his eyes. “A deal’s a deal.” He pointed to the door. “Get out.” 

Jongin held up his hands in surrender, smiling faintly. “Going.” 

Luhan didn’t relax until the door shut with a soft click behind Jongin, laying back against the pillows gingerly. In an hour or two he’d need to eat something, but after trying to force his body back into routine and showering, he needed to lie down for a moment. 

He drifted off. 

Luhan woke with a gasp, which he immediately regretted when his ribs screamed. He looked at the clock on the wall, relieved when only an hour had passed. The need to take stock of his situation in a more physical sense drove him out of bed before his body was ready to move. He made his way over to his backpack—ripped and stained with dirt and blood—appearing untouched. 

He sat on the plush carpet and slowly started going through the contents. A spare change of clothes. His guidebook. His brother’s necklace—a charm of protection that he slipped on, figuring it couldn’t hurt. The remnants of his food, now stale. His best set of throwing knives stored in a case that folded compactly for storage and traveling. He closed his eyes in relief when his fingers wrapped around the pearl handle of the stiletto—pure silver—that he’d managed to get away with. It wasn’t his...but if he’d lost it, it would have destroyed him. 

With everything set out in front of him, he had a better sense of what he was working with. He wanted to find a way to discreetly have the stiletto on him, making a mental note to look for things to make a strap for the sheath. At least it was easier to that than his Deerhorn knives. But for now, he’d continue to be unarmed. He wouldn’t be able to do anything with it until he’d healed, anyway. 

Once he’d pulled everything out, he began scattering them around the room, putting them in places he could easily reach, but that were inconspicuous enough that they wouldn’t be the _first_ place someone looked. He was exhausted by the time he finished, ribs aching, but he wanted food before he slept again. 

True to his word, Jongin didn’t appear when he poked his head out of his room, or when he shuffled down the hallway to the stairs. He was panting lightly by the time he made his way to the kitchen, hands shaking as he opened the fridge. 

He didn’t know what he’d expected to find, but it wasn’t a packed fridge. There were fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, sauces; a look in the cupboards revealed noodles and rice, things he could put together in a few minutes if he got creative. There were also packages of ramen, which is what he reached for. Healthier food could wait for a time when he didn’t feel shaky and weak. 

Plus, it was done in ten minutes. He cracked an egg in the bowl, letting the hot broth cook it slowly while it cooled to a temperature he could handle, then dug in. He was slurping the last of the broth down when the hair on the back of his neck prickled. 

He turned to find Taeyong staring at him, watching him eat with a predatory gaze. He regretted leaving his knives upstairs. 

“Can I help you?” 

Taeyong hissed, eyes narrowing. ”I don’t like you, human.” 

Luhan placed his bowl in the sink. “Feeling’s mutual, bloodsucker.” 

Taeyong hissed again, this time with fangs dropped. 

Luhan got as close as his bravado would take him, schooling his expression into one of indifference. “Put those fangs away before I break them, off fledgling.” Luhan crossed his arms. “Didn’t anyone teach you it was rude to flash fang?” 

“I’m going to drain you dry.” Taeyong’s threat was undercut by the slight lisp in his words, still unaccustomed as a fledgling to speaking with a mouth full of fangs. 

“Tae_yong.” _Minseok’s voice snapped through the kitchen, making Taeyong flinch. “Threatening a human is a gross breach of etiquette.” 

Luhan took Taeyong’s hunched shoulders as his sign to quietly exit the kitchen. He slipped past Minseok with a wary glance, not fooled by his pretty eyes in the slightest. 

Once back in his room, he retrieved his stiletto from its hiding place and pushed it under his pillow, falling asleep with one hand gripping the blade. 

“So, are you ever going to tell me your name, wildcat? Or why I found you half-dead at the edge of my territory?” 

Luhan looked up from the book he was reading. Jongin’s house—if he could even call it that—had a rather extensive library, and since he hadn’t had the time previously to read much outside of vampire history, he was making full use of it. Plus, it was one of the few rooms Taeyong was afraid of. 

Something about books making him want to sneeze. 

He didn’t look up from his book. “No. Go away.” 

Jongin draped himself across the adjacent couch. “Not even if I ask nicely?” He seemed bored, now that his friend Minseok had left. 

“I’m thankful to you for likely saving my life, but I don’t trust vampires and I know the power a name holds.” He flicked his eyes up fleetingly to meet Jongin’s. “Especially with your kind.” 

_“My_ kind?” He pressed a hand to his chest. “You wound me, wildcat.” 

“We both know it would take more than words to wound you.” 

“Oh? And exactly how do you know that, little human?” 

“I’m not little.” 

“You’re avoiding the question.” 

Luhan returned to his book. “Go away.” 

He was mildly surprised when Jongin did. 

He didn’t drop the questions, though. 

Luhan quickly realized that Jongin was persistent, and yet incredibly respectful of his wishes. However, if Luhan _did_ answer a question, Jongin often let him be for the rest of the day. 

He’d gotten in the habit of answering one of the questions Jongin asked him whenever he appeared in Luhan’s vicinity. If nothing else, it got him to back off long enough for Luhan’s internal alarms to stop screeching _Danger! Vampire!_ every time he was around. 

“How old are you?” Luhan asked one day, before Jongin could ask a question of his own. 

The look Jongin gave him was the most guarded he’d ever seen. “Why?” 

Luhan raised an eyebrow, closing the book he’d been reading. “It’s just a question, Jongin.” 

“How old are _you?”_

“Twenty-six.” 

Jongin’s lips thinned. Luhan was sure he hadn’t expected him to actually answer the question. 

“So?” he prompted. 

“Four hundred fifty-eight.” 

“Shit.” Luhan mulled that over. Jongin was from an era in which Korean as a language had only existed for a hundred years. The Ming dynasty was coming to an end in China. He was old as _fuck._ ”You’re ancient.” 

“Thanks.” Jongin’s expression was closed off as he stood. 

“Leaving already?” Luhan asked, affecting innocence. Provoking a vampire with invasive questions wasn’t smart, no, but it was oh _so_ satisfying. 

Jongin glided soundlessly from the room. 

Luhan opened his book again, picking up where he left off. 

Naturally, as soon as he was becoming warily comfortable with Jongin and Taeyong lurking in the house, things changed. 

For a creature that could be reduced to ash by sunlight, Jongin’s house in the woods had a surprising amount of rooms with floor to ceiling windows. He was standing in front of the windows of the spacious living room, watching the sun burn away some of the lingering morning fog, when a bank of clouds rolled over the sun, casting the world into shadow. 

“What are you looking at?” Jongin asked softly, appearing next to him between beats of Luhan’s human heart. 

Luhan didn’t flinch, used to the way Jongin was silently coming and going after two weeks of it. “Watching the world wake up.” The fog was growing thicker. He squinted, as it ghosted up the windows, becoming thick enough it was difficult to make out the shapes of the trees. 

Something moved, shadowy and insubstantial, the fog swirling. 

“There’s something out there.” He clutched his mug of tea closer, trying to ward off the sudden chill he felt with the warmth of the mug in his hands. 

Jongin hissed, sounding…territorial to Luhan’s ears. “It’s her.” 

Luhan didn’t get the chance to ask who _her _was. The fog parted, heralding the approach of a small, dangerous-looking woman in all black, blonde curls cascading over her shoulders like honey. She was delicate, ethereally beautiful in a way only vampires could be, and clearly powerful if fog was enough to protect her from the sun, thick as it was. 

Luhan’s fingers itched for his knives. 

She walked right up to the glass, her head barely coming level with Jongin’s chin, and tapped on it with one, crimson nail, the end tapered to a point. Claw-like. 

Jongin sighed deeply before moving to the French doors to the side and unlocking them, stepping aside as she waltzed in. 

Luhan felt terror to a degree no other vampire had instilled in him thus far. 

“Is this your latest human pet, brother?” Her voice was rich and smooth, like velvet, tendrils of fog still rolling off her as she unbuckled her long black coat and shrugged it off, tossing it aside carelessly. Her gaze flicked lazily to Luhan. 

Despite the fear skittering down his spine, Luhan found it within him to snap, “I’m nobody’s _pet.”_

“Oooo, the kitty has claws,” she purred with a sanguine smile. “Where _did _you find him, Jongin? He’s delightful.” 

“To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit, Seulgi? Did that coven of yours finally kick you out?” Jongin shifted in front of Luhan ever so slightly, although judging by the narrowing of Seulgi’s eyes she didn’t miss it. 

“No, the girls are fine. I ran into Minseok last week and he said I should visit. Said you had a new fledgling you might need help with.” She gave Luhan another considering look. “Although, he failed to mention your new toy.” 

“I can introduce you to Taeyong. I’m sure he’s sulking around here somewhere. It would do him good to meet you. He needs to be properly socialized.” Jongin moved toward her, taking her by the elbow and starting to steer her away. 

She slipped from his grasp and was in front of Luhan in the blink of an eye, her hands around his waist as she got right up in his face. 

Luhan couldn’t suppress the pained hiss when she pressed against his ribs. 

“Oh, the pitiful thing is hurt!” she cooed, looking more likely to scratch his eyes out than soothe his wounds. “Where _do_ you find them, brother?” She smiled, teeth a little too pointy. 

Jongin pried her away from Luhan. “He’s off limits, little sister. Use some of that control I taught you. You know I don’t keep feeders around.” 

Seulgi pouted up at him. “But I traveled all this way to see you.” 

“Then go and get some rest. There’s a sun-safe room downstairs. You can go out hunting with me and the fledgling at sundown.” 

She pressed up on her toes, kissing Jongin on the cheek before tossing a wink over her shoulder at Luhan and prancing away. 

Jongin watched her leave before turning to Luhan. “So, that’s my sister.” 

Luhan handed his now cold tea to Jongin before going back upstairs and locking himself in his room. 

He _had _to get out of there. 

For the next few days, Luhan stuck to his room whenever possible, only venturing out in the brightest part of the day when the vampires were usually asleep to gather food and books. Taeyong was one, mostly harmless thing. But Seulgi...he shuddered at just the thought. 

He didn’t want to run into her alone. 

Instead, if he wasn’t sleeping—usually at random intervals throughout the day and night, too paranoid to sleep for longer than two hours at a time—he was reading or forcing his body into movement. Stretching, doing what strengthening his ribs would allow, starting up a light routine of punches and kicks that made his body hum with satisfaction under the pain. 

He was healing, slowly in the case of his ribs, but healing. 

He hadn’t talked to anyone in two full days when Jongin finally found him. 

“She won’t hurt you, you know.” 

Luhan snorted as he cooked his noodles. The kitchen was magically stocked with anything he could want, which was convenient if not alarming. 

“Oh, I think she would.” 

Jongin leaned against the counter, frowning. “No, she can’t. She’s younger than me, and we have the same maker, so that gives me…a certain persuasion over her.” 

Luhan filed that tidbit away. Nothing he had learned growing up had mentioned anything about siblings having sway over each other based on age. “I don’t trust you. So I’ll keep hiding until she leaves, thanks.” 

“She’s not leaving for a few weeks. You’ll go mad from the boredom.” 

“You have a rather extensive library for me to work through.” He poured his finished noodles into a bowl. “Or maybe I’ll leave.” 

Jongin narrowed his eyes. “You have nowhere to go.” 

“How do you know?” 

That tripped him up. Luhan could see him pause, his mouth opened slightly, confusion on his face. 

He lifted a bunch of noodles out of the bowl, blowing on them before slurping them up, as loudly as he could. 

“One day, I’ll figure out what you’re hiding.” 

“You’re not nearly as ominous as you try to be, you know,” Luhan remarked, through a mouthful of noodles, pointing his chopsticks at Jongin. “Your sister is way scarier.” 

Luhan cut off whatever Jongin’s response to that was with more slurping. 

“Are all humans as loud and annoying as you?” Taeyong whined, appearing in the kitchen. “I could hear you from my room a whole floor below.” 

Luhan shrugged. “Seems like a personal problem to me. I’m not the one with enhanced hearing.” 

Taeyong hissed at him. 

“Be nice to the baby, wildcat.” 

“I’m not a baby!” Taeyong protested. 

Luhan smirked. He picked up his bowl and made for the exit, intent on escaping to his room. 

Seulgi appeared in the doorway, blocking his path. “Well, if it isn’t the pet human.” 

Taeyong snickered, while Luhan mustered up the courage to attempt a glare at her. While he was (mostly) comfortable antagonizing Jongin and Taeyong, he wasn’t suicidal enough to try it with Seulgi. 

“He’s not a pet, sister,” Jongin said, before Luhan could say something that would no doubt end with her ripping him into tiny shreds. 

Seulgi sniffed. “Smells delicious enough to be a kept human.” 

_Kept. Human._ Luhan blinked. The _fuck?_

“What’s a kept human?” Taeyong inquired, red hair falling in his eyes as he tilted his head like a puppy. 

“An archaic concept,” Jongin answered, just as Seulgi replied: “It’s tradition to keep a human in the house for your coven to play with. Usually more than one.” 

Luhan tried to slip past Seulgi with his food, only half surprised when she blocked his path, saccharine smile in place. “Not so fast.” 

“My noodles are getting soggy,” Luhan murmured, not making eye contact. He was taught never to look predators in the eyes. Made them feel challenged. 

“Your noodles.” Seulgi’s voice was flat, tinged with disbelief. 

“Clearly you’ve never known the distinct displeasure of eating soggy noodles,” Luhan choked out, bravely. Her aura of _twitch wrong and I’ll rip you apart _was so thick he was suffocating. 

Jongin stepped forward and gently—at least to Luhan’s eyes—pushed Seulgi away. “Let him be, Seulgi. He needs to rest and heal.” 

Seulgi snorted, but grudgingly let Luhan slip past her and make for the stairs. 

He ignored the hushed hissing that trailed after him. 

He was reaching for a book on one of the highest shelves—hoping that a good book would distract his mind from the elevated threat his life was under now that Seulgi was lurking in the house—his fingertips just barely grazing the spine, when a cool hand settled at his hip and a body pressed up against his back, slender fingers pulling the book from the shelf for him. 

It was his training, more than any desire, to slam his elbow back into the ribs of the person behind him and grab the hand at his hip, widening his stance to throw the body over his shoulder. It had always worked before—every time he did it in training, that was—but he’d never tried to drop a vampire before. 

Jongin didn’t even budge. Instead he took control of the grip Luhan had and used it to spin him around, pressing him against the bookshelf and bringing his wrists above his head. 

“Let me go,” Luhan seethed, testing Jongin’s hold. Gentle enough not to bruise, tight enough to keep him from going anywhere. 

“Are you going to try and hit me again? All I was doing was helping you reach a book.” 

Jongin’s face was _far_ too close to his. He could see the lack of flaws in his skin, creamy and as smooth as caramel, the way his golden-brown eyes were both soft and intense as they arrested Luhan’s gaze. 

“I didn’t need help,” Luhan protested, yanking against Jongin’s hold. 

Jongin shifted the grip he had on his wrists to one hand—still just as strong—and held the book Luhan had been stretching for between them. “Do you want to read this, or no?” 

“I’d rather your sister leave me the fuck alone.” 

“She is showing as much restraint as she’s capable of,” Jongin murmured, looking at Luhan in puzzlement. “Why are you so afraid of her? You aren’t this anxious around Taeyong or myself.” 

“I’m not afraid!” Luhan pouted when Jongin raised an eyebrow and looked at his chest, like he could hear how fast it was beating. Then again, Luhan realized, he probably could. “I’m not,” he added, much quieter. 

Jongin tilted his head curiously. “Then why is your heart fluttering, hummingbird?” 

Oh no. Ohhhhh no. Fuck. “You startled me,” he lied. 

Jongin’s ochre eyes narrowed. He leaned in closer, their noses brushing. Luhan contemplated whether or not jamming his knee between Jongin’s legs would hurt the same regardless of if he was a human or not. 

He willed his traitorous heart to slow as Jongin murmured, “It’s very hard to startle you, wildcat. I think you’re lying.” 

_Fuck it. _Luhan jammed his knee between Jongin’s legs, slipping his wrists free when Jongin grunted and loosened his hold. He took a deep breath, snatched the book he’d been trying to get from Jongin’s hand, and took a few steps away, wary of Jongin now that he’d (probably) angered him. 

“Well played, little human.” 

Luhan scrunched his nose. “I don’t like being pinned down against my will.” 

Jongin dragged slow, lazy eyes up Luhan’s body. “Hmmm. Well, enjoy your book.” 

He couldn’t manage to muster up a retort before Jongin vanished, the ghost of a chuckle left in his wake. 

He really hated vampires. 

If the teachings he’d grown up learning were to be believed, then every vampire had a special ability, often something that carried over from their human personality. In the last few weeks, Luhan had learned that much of what he’d thought was gospel truth about vampires was in fact false, but that truth seemed to remain.

Jongin could move from place to place in the blink of an eye. Luhan hadn’t seen him do it often, but enough to surmise that it was his gift. He hadn’t seen Taeyong do anything out of the ordinary for a vampire—assuming everything he knew about them was still correct—but he explained that away as Taeyong being so young.

What he was currently worried about was what Seulgi’s ability might be, and how dangerous she was to him, truly. Obsessing over her was proving very distracting from his book, so he put it down with a sigh and got up to stare out the library windows.

He was getting stronger. His ribs didn’t hurt nearly as much, and he’d been able to start doing more of his regular exercise regimen again, regaining the tone and flexibility of his muscles he’d grown up maintaining. And with Seulgi remaining a clear and present threat, he’d begun keeping one of his knives on him always.

After doing a bit of sleuthing when the vampires were ostensibly asleep, Luhan had found an ace bandage stored under the bathroom sink, and he’d figured out a way to use it to strap the sheath of his knife against his forearm. Rudimentary, yes. But functional therefore it didn’t need to be pretty.

When hands on his hips jolted him from his thoughts, it took him a moment to react. Jongin was the only vampire in the house willing to touch him, so he didn’t immediately sink into attack mode.

He should have, though.

“I’ve been wondering what a human like you would taste like, when you smell so sweet.”

Seulgi’s voice whispered across the skin of his neck, her lips following. She must have been on her toes, then, in order to reach his neck with her mouth. She wasn’t very big. Luhan’s mind raced while his body was paralyzed by the fear dripping down his spine. 

He flinched, and her grip at his waist turned bruising.

“I won’t drain you,” she purred, voice like velvet. “Just a taste, sweet human.”

“I’d rather not, thanks,” Luhan rasped, throat dry. He wondered if she would notice if he went for the knife against his arm.

“Pretty human, let me have a taste?”

He went to refuse, but his tongue felt heavy. Her voice was so soft, so soothing. He wanted to give in, let her have her way. “I—” He tried to shake himself. He could see her eyes peeking over his shoulder, reflected in the window. She held his gaze.

“Relax, lovely boy. It won’t even hurt.”

He held her gaze, transfixed. His hand twitched. She didn’t look away from his eyes. “Do you promise?” He relaxed into her grip, sinking more into his knees as she wrapped deceptively strong arms more fully around his waist.

“I promise. No pain whatsoever.”

Luhan smiled. “Well, if you promise.”

Her eyes lit up, fangy smile spreading across porcelain features.

Her scream, when he stabbed her in the side with his knife, was viscerally satisfying. She immediately pushed him away, making him stumble into the wall and hiss as his chest collided with unforgiving wood. He maintained his grip on his knife, feeling it grind against bones as it slipped from her side.

“Any last words, foolish human?” Her voice sounded strained, breathing wet and thick sounding. He must have punctured a lung.

“Die, bloodsucker.” He settled into a crouch, adjusting his grip on his knife and squaring off with Seulgi, who was pacing slowly. 

It was a boost to his pride that he didn't _immediately _go down.

He parried her first two swipes—fingers long and clawed now that she was angry—and ducked under her third, cutting a long slash along her forearm.

Her retaliatory punch across his jaw caught him off-guard and stung like a _bitch._ That was going to bruise.

He reached behind him with his free hand, grabbing a book off the shelf and using it to block her kick, throwing it directly at her to distract as he ran to the center of the room. She'd been slowly pressuring him back into a corner, and the last thing he needed was to be _literally_ trapped by her.

"I'm going to enjoy watching the life fade from your limbs," she hissed, lunging for him again.

He countered, moving to follow up with a swipe to her already-injured ribs with his knife, only to have her hand catch his wrist and twist viciously, making his grip go slack and his knife drop to the ground, the delicate bones of his wrist grinding painfully in her harsh hold.

He watched helplessly as her fangs went for his neck, pinning him in place even though he struggled with everything he had, muscles screaming in protest.

"Seulgi!"

Jongin's voice was murderous, the sternest Luhan had ever heard him sound.

Her eyes flicked to where Jongin was standing in the doorway, fangs out, looking very much like the dangerous vampire Luhan knew he was, but hadn't seen until now.

"Let. Him. Go."

Jongin's voice brooked no argument, and Seulgi waited a moment before releasing Luhan with a disgruntled growl.

"I was only playing with him."

Luhan's ribs protested the idea of it being a 'play fight'. "Bullshit. You came in here asking for a taste, practically begging me to let you bite me."

Seulgi snapped her teeth together menacingly in his direction. "And then you _stabbed _me." She turned to Jongin. "Brother, did you know your little human is armed? You sure know how to pick ‘em. He knows how to fight. I’ll give you three tries to guess who trained him."

Jongin blinked at her slowly.

“He's trained to fight like a _hunter,_ Jongin.” She stalked up to Jongin, looking up at him with all the ferocity her small frame could muster. “He’s no helpless human. You need to kill him, before he kills you.”

Jongin's gaze flickered to Luhan, where he was standing on shaking legs and panting, a tremor in his hands.

“Then maybe you should leave, sister.” Jongin touched her side gently, where Luhan had stabbed her. She hissed as his fingers found the wound. "It's been decades since I've seen someone land a hit on you, never mind an injured human."

"Fine. But _when_ he tries to kill you, remember that I warned you."

"Do come again soon, sister," Jongin said placidly. "Three decades is far too long between visits." He leaned down so she could press up and kiss his cheek, and then with a last glare for Luhan over her shoulder, she left the room.

Jongin caught him as his legs finally gave out, and Luhan was honestly too overwhelmed to care.

He'd survived his first fight with a vampire.

"Are you okay?" Jongin asked, gently lowering him to the floor to run careful hands over Luhan's body, searching for wounds.

"I'm fine," Luhan protested, hissing when Jongin's fingers skimmed his jaw.

"Hmmm, this is going to bruise. I'll get some ice for it."

Luhan reached for his knife, only to whimper when stretching his fingers made pain twinge through his wrist, rather acutely. He didn't try and fight it when Jongin grabbed his forearm and pulled his wrist close, twisting it different ways to assess how it was injured.

"A sprain, I think," he announced, sounding sure.

"What are you, a doctor?"

Jongin smiled thinly. "When you've been alive as long as I have, you learn a few things. And get several degrees."

"Whatever," Luhan mumbled, exhaustion seeping into his bones as the adrenaline wore off.

"Come on," Jongin said, lifting Luhan from the floor. "Let's get you to your room."

"I can _walk,"_ Luhan protested, only flailing slightly. "I'm _fine."_

"Close your eyes, wildcat," Jongin warned, before doing the freaky moving instantly thing that always made him want to hurl.

It was quiet, while Jongin wrapped his wrist after instructing Luhan to hold the ice he'd vanished to get to his bruised jaw. They were sitting on the edge of his bed, the room still around them, Luhan's breathing the only disruption.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Jongin's voice was soft, barely more than a whisper as he broke the tense silence between them.

"Nowhere."

"You're lying, hummingbird," Jongin hummed, cool hands moving around his wrist. "Seulgi was right. Skills like those aren't just picked up off the street. You've been trained, and by somebody good at killing things."

"Things?"

Molten brown eyes bored into his. "Vampires."

Luhan's heart stopped, then doubled. Jongin's gaze lowered to his chest, his eyebrows furrowing.

_Shit._

"What were you running from?" Jongin carefully tied the wrap around his wrist, finishing it securely. "Where did you come from?"

Luhan kept his mouth firmly closed.

Jongin's eyes narrowed. "What's your name, pretty human?" His voice was softer still, leaning in as he spoke.

His heart kept pounding, but it wasn't the same fear that he'd felt when Seulgi had cornered him in the library. It was something else, a different feeling, that had his heart racing now.

"It doesn't matter who I am, or where I came from," Luhan finally said. "I'm going to leave as soon as I'm healed, and you'll never see me again."

Jongin nodded. "I have a few problems with that."

Luhan quirked an eyebrow.

"There are several compounds in this area, all specializing in different things. Dangerous things. One of those compounds specializes in training people how to hunt...creatures of the night, I think the government is calling them these days. So, if I let you go, and you run back to one of these compounds, dangerous to me or otherwise, I run the risk of large groups of people knowing where I live. And I really can't have that."

"I—"

"There's a certain way this house just, feels when the sun is rising and the fog is dissolving in the early morning. I'd hate to give it up so soon. I've only lived here for the last five years, you see. I don't like to move more than, oh, every three decades." He smiled thinly at Luhan, finally leaning out of his space.

Luhan took a deep breath.

"So, my little wildcat. You're not going anywhere until I know it's safe to let you go." He crossed his legs. "In light of that, is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

"My name is Luhan."

Jongin smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere, wildcat."

Luhan spent a lot of time once Jongin had left him alone in his room panicking, memories he’d tried to suppress for the last few weeks assaulting him. No matter what he did, they kept flooding his mind, relentless. 

Unproductive. Not even his books could help distract his mind. 

It was worse at night, when he was a slave to his mind and the memories sleep brought to the surface. 

His hands soaked to the wrist in blood, most of it not his, knives dripping as he clenched them. Knuckles bruised from punching through the people who had taught him everything he knew. Everything he _thought_ he knew. 

_Chosen one,_ they whispered, ghosts of memories past taunting him with dead eyes. _Humanity’s savior._

The third night of these dreams, of being haunted in his sleep, he woke screaming. He was thrashing, fighting against those who were trying to stop him from fleeing, from escaping, from having a _life._ Reliving the horror of watching his knife sink into the chest of his best friend, watching him fall to the ground, blood everywhere. 

_“Luhan!”_ the memories screamed. The eyes of his best friend slipping shut, body limp. There had been others in his way. He’d cut them all down, after that. Watched the way their eyes dimmed, chests falling still. 

“Luhan! Wake up!” 

He opened his eyes, his fingers digging into Jongin’s ribs, trying to throw him off as Jongin pinned his flailing limbs with his body. He slowly stilled as the nightmare released him, surfacing through murky layers of distress that clung to him like fog. 

“There you are,” Jongin whispered, loosening his hold, brushing Luhan’s sweaty hair out of his eyes. 

His panicked mind latched onto that, how his hair was too long, focusing on that instead of the horrors lurking every time he blinked. It had been long when he’d run away—_escaped_, he reminded himself—but now after nearly a month of living with a vampire, it was nearly unmanageable. 

“I should cut my hair,” Luhan murmured. 

Jongin’s fingers stilled in his hair, his eyebrows quirking. He was dimly lit, dull blue light seeping in through the windows, heralding the dawn. ”Luhan, are you okay?” 

He pulled his hands away from Jongin’s bare torso—a detail he noticed far too late—and covered his face. He tried to breathe deeply, but his throat was so tight, his breathing shuddery and vulnerable sounding as it rattled in his choked-up throat. 

He, horrifyingly, realized he was about to cry. 

“Luhan?” Jongin whispered, shifting to rest on his elbows, freeing his hands to slowly peel his hands away from his eyes. 

His vision was blurry as he blinked up at Jongin, lashes wet. He didn’t know how to answer, where to begin. Not to mention the fact that he barely trusted Jongin, and while the last several weeks had taught him that most of what he’d been taught to believe about vampires was incorrect, the caution ingrained into him from an early age wouldn’t allow him to be cavalier with his trust. 

Especially when it came to vampires, no matter how mild-mannered they appeared. 

Hot tears spilled from the corners of his eyes, and if it weren’t for the warmth and weight of Jongin’s body pressing against his, he would probably be in a full-blown panic attack. 

“I’m okay,” he managed to whisper, hands still trapped by Jongin’s soft grip around his wrists. 

“Oh, hummingbird.” Jongin rolled off him to lay on his side, gathering Luhan up in his arms and pulling him close. “What’s haunting you? What were you running from?” 

Ah, therein lied the issue. If Jongin knew what he was running from, what he _was,_ he would probably kill him to ensure his own safety, or—at best—knock him out and leave him in an alley somewhere in a city he was unfamiliar with. 

He shook his head, wiping at his tears and refusing to talk. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t even know why he was allowing Jongin to hold him like a child, but he was weak, heartbroken, and reliving the trauma lurking in his brain every time he blinked. 

“Can you breathe?” Luhan asked eventually, when his own breathing had become less like suppressed sobs. 

“Hmmm?” 

He swallowed, hesitantly resting his palms on Jongin’s chest. His skin was smooth and warm, muscles well-defined and firm, but his chest was still. “You just. You don’t have a heartbeat. And you’re not breathing. But you’re warm and human feeling.” Luhan swallowed around a tongue that suddenly felt too big for his mouth. “It’s causing my brain to short-circuit.” 

Jongin squeezed him a little closer, huffing in what seemed like amusement. His chest began to rise and fall against Luhan’s hands, steady and slow. 

“Better?” 

Luhan let his silence answer for him, greedily soaking up the calm presence Jongin was exuding, even though he was terribly confused as to _why_ Jongin was doing it. 

“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” 

The second the question fell from his lips Luhan wanted to crawl back to where he’d come from and let them finish the job they’d started. He’d meant to ask why Jongin was being so nice, so...human. 

“I never wear clothes to sleep in,” Jongin replied, completely unbothered and politely ignoring the sudden heat in Luhan’s face. 

“But...you’re wearing pants.” 

He suspected that Jongin rolled his eyes, although he wasn’t willing to look. ”I put some on before I came here. No matter how concerned I was by you screaming in the middle of the night, I wasn’t about to show up naked.” 

Luhan nodded, resolutely _not_ imagining Jongin naked. 

The longer he lay in Jongin’s arms, the more relaxed he became, sleep creeping over him with its greedy fingers, pulling at his consciousness to try and coax him back to sleep. 

“Why are you doing this?” he mumbled, not sure if it was in a dream or reality that he spoke. 

“Oh, wildcat. Because you’re under my protection, now. I won’t let anything harm you, not even your own mind.” He was certain the gentleness in Jongin’s voice, the way the words were soaked in fondness, must have been part of the dream. 

“Typical vampire, thinking they own everything they see,” Luhan mumbled, shifting against the pillow slightly, relaxing further. 

A quiet chuckle brushed his ear. “Sleep, little human.” 

Luhan sank into the dark oblivion of sleep. 

“But _why._ I’m going to look dumb.” 

“Because I said so. Stop whining and put it on.” 

Luhan stopped in the hallway of the basement, head tilting as the sound of Jongin and Taeyong talking reached him. He backtracked until he came to a door and hesitated at the threshold. He’d been looking for Jongin—which was the only reason why he was in the basement at all—but he didn’t care to interact with Taeyong unless he had to. 

He’d been laying low in the week since Seulgi’s departure, letting his wrist heal and his mind settle. 

“You know I can hear your heart beating, right Luhan?” Jongin’s voice sounded amused, as it filtered to Luhan through the nearly closed door. 

He closed his eyes and sighed, before blinking them open and entering. Jongin was looking at him expectantly, while Taeyong was sulkily buttoning up a silk shirt. 

“Do you need something?” Jongin asked, the faintest furrow of his eyebrows suggesting he was concerned. 

Which, Luhan supposed, his concern would be valid. He’d been avoiding Jongin, since the morning a few days ago when he’d woken in the vampire’s arms. He was embarrassed by his own show of weakness, at needing a _vampire_ of all things to comfort him. 

“What are you two doing?” He asked instead, deflecting. 

The quirk of Jongin’s mouth told Luhan his deflection hadn’t worked on him, but he was spared from further questioning by Taeyong’s answer. 

“Jongin says I need to learn how to hunt.” The disdain coloring Taeyong’s expression made it clear what he thought about that. 

“My blood stores are starting to run low, and the baby has to learn how to get his own food sometime.” 

“I’m not a _baby!”_ His protestation was undercut by the way he stomped his foot. “Can’t you just bring me blood?” 

“No, I most certainly cannot, _primarily,”_ Taeyong opened his mouth to argue but Jongin steamrolled right past him, “because you’re not going to live with me for much longer. Additionally, _every_ vampire needs to know how to hunt properly. Otherwise you’ll get yourself staked by a hunter, and you don’t want that.” 

Jongin’s eyes cut briefly to Luhan before focusing on Taeyong’s shirt and undoing the buttons halfway down his chest. 

“Fine,” Taeyong griped, running hands through his red hair. The roots were starting to grow out, the red fading in vibrancy. “Is the human coming?” 

“No.” 

“Yes.” 

Jongin looked at him sharply. “You most certainly are not. You’re still injured.” 

Luhan raised an eyebrow. “I’m healed enough. Besides, if I stay confined to this house for another day, I’m going to go insane.” 

“It’s dangerous.” 

“Yeah, I might decide to eat _you.”_ Taeyong grinned, looking fangy. 

“I have my knives.” Luhan scowled. “And please, as if, baby. You’re not skilled enough to get me.” 

Taeyong hissed, lunging for Luhan only to be held back by Jongin’s arm. 

“You do what I say,” Jongin instructed. “And don’t wander off.” 

Luhan nodded quickly. He was _dying _to get out of the house, and if it meant looking away while two vampires drank from a few humans then, well. 

He was already fucked anyway. Not like this was going to make anything worse. 

“We leave in five.” 

It took a concerted effort not to ogle Jongin, once he’d driven them an hour to get anywhere populated enough to have a nightclub. It was fine when Luhan had been in the back seat, staring out as the world was swallowed in the dark of night and watching as streetlights gradually began to populate the scenery. 

Jongin had thrown clothes at Luhan before he went to get his knives from his room—pants tight enough to hug the muscles of Luhan’s legs, a black shirt that was just sheer enough to be tantalizing—rushing him to change before they left. It was difficult to hide his knives, but not impossible. He was careful not to brush too closely to people once they were inside the nightclub Jongin had chosen, although since Jongin had taken them to a seemingly popular club to hunt, that was easier said than done. 

Jongin was wearing a lavender turtleneck—were he human it would be stifling in the heat of the club, but as a vampire he was immune to it—tucked into snug pants that did him every favor imaginable. He was dancing with Taeyong in the middle of the floor, talking into his ear while Luhan took up a spot by the bar and tried not to let paranoia creep up on him. 

He’d been safely hidden away at Jongin’s, but out here his past could easily find him. But it was worth the risk to get some fresh air, a change of scenery. Even if it was a dark, humid club of people at different levels of intoxication. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” 

Luhan turned at the light touch to his elbow, coming face to face with a pretty man, eyes sparkling in the flash of lights around them. 

“Oh, thank you. I’m not drinking tonight, though.” Luhan started to turn away, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. 

“I like your hair,” the man said, stepping closer to Luhan and gesturing to where he’d gathered his hair up in a topknot, eager to keep his hair out of his eyes. “Wanna dance?” 

He shouldn’t. He _really_ shouldn’t. But he’d been confined for so long, indulging a pretty guy in a dance was harmless, right? He smiled. “I’m Lu, you are?” 

A bright, eager smile. “Chen.” He held out his hand, eyebrows raised hopefully. 

Luhan let himself be led into the thick of the crowd, feeling less scrutinized as bodies closed around him, pressing him closer to Chen as they started to dance. 

He quickly realized he was out of his depth. He hadn’t had much time for dancing or anything fun growing up, and natural grace only got him so far. Chen laughed at his clunky, stiff movements before stepping closer and settling firm hands on his waist to guide his movements. 

“Don’t dance much?” Chen asked, leaning closer and up slightly to talk in Luhan’s ear over the thrumming beat of the music. 

Luhan rested his own hands on Chen’s waist for lack of anywhere else to put them. “I don’t get out much.” 

Chen’s eyebrows drew up in the center, lips pouting slightly. “Well, that’s no fun.” He gently tugged Luhan closer, synching their movements as their legs slotted together. “We’ll have to change that, hmm?” 

And Luhan…well. He turned off his brain. The crowd gave him a sense of safety. Too many humans to pick out just one. And Chen was smiling up at him with pretty, shapely lips and Luhan hadn’t been looked at like that—like he was kissable—in the longest time. He’d stabbed the last person he’d kissed, although he fought every day to forget that fact. 

He let Chen control the pace, let him coax Luhan out of his shell more and more until they were fully embraced, Chen’s arms around his neck and their hips lightly grinding. When Chen rose up slightly Luhan met him halfway in a kiss, and electricity rushed through his veins. 

He tightened his arms around Chen’s waist, holding him close, neither of them really dancing anymore in favor of kissing. Before things could get too heated, Chen moved his lips to Luhan’s ear. 

“Wanna go somewhere a little more private, baby?” 

Luhan nodded, letting himself be led. Chen took them to the far corner of the room. There was a booth there, tucked away in the shadows, and Chen tugged him in after, all but pulling Luhan into his lap. 

“Oh, who have you brought to join us, Chen?” 

Luhan sensed the new presence at his back, looking over his shoulder and feeling his brain short-circuit at he came face-to-face with someone too stunning to be human, surely. 

“Oh, he’s _pretty,” _the newcomer purred. His hair was liquid silver, neatly coiffed with the slightest wave to it, blue eyes enchanting and expertly lined. 

Luhan—very confident in his looks and knowing he was extremely handsome—felt like a potato next to him. More so between both him and Chen. 

“Lu, this is my partner in crime, Hyun.” Chen then proceeded to ignore Hyun and began kissing a line up to Luhan’s jaw. 

“Nice to meet you,” Luhan managed around a sigh, brain going a little fuzzy as teeth scraped against his throat lightly. 

“Mmmmmm, come here, beautiful,” Hyun said, tilting Luhan’s head his direction and kissing him, slow and sticky, so thoroughly Luhan felt himself melt. 

Chen rearranged them so that he could continue kissing along Luhan’s jaw and neck while Hyun kept his mouth busy. 

Hyun’s hair, when Luhan sunk a hand into it, was soft as silk. He could barely think over the hum of pleasure coursing through him. He felt sun-warmed, punch-drunk, and blissed out. Chen’s teeth scraped against his neck again, making him shiver and gasp against Hyun’s lips. 

“Relax, little deer,” Hyun murmured, stroking cool fingers against his cheek. “Chen is very good at what he does.” 

Luhan opened his mouth to ask what exactly Hyun meant by that, but his mouth was suddenly filled with Hyun’s tongue and Chen’s teeth were scraping against his neck harshly now, and a thrill of pleasure and arousal rushed through him. 

A thought tried to break through the fuzzy feeling of his brain, but it was too weak in the face of so much stimulation and pleasure. 

Or, it was until Chen bit him, _hard._

Luhan yelped, jumping in place as Hyun immediately soothed him. Something was wrong. Hyun sucked on his bottom lip, nipping lightly with his teeth, and it was almost enough to distract from the way Chen was downright gnawing on his neck now. 

Almost, but not quite. 

Chen giggled as his fangs sank into Luhan’s neck, mouth sucking. The fuzz in his brain evaporated. Hyun was still kissing him, but his attention wasn’t on Luhan’s hands, leaving him free to slip his stiletto from his sleeve and press the sharp tip against Chen’s ribs, angled for his heart. 

Chen stiffened. 

“Take another sip,” Luhan breathed, pulling his mouth away from Hyun’s, “and you die.” 

Hyun hissed. “Get your knife away from my mate.” 

Luhan looked at him, forcing down his panic and projecting calm confidence. “Get your mate away from my neck.” 

Which was the exact moment Jongin found him. 

“Luhan? I heard your pulse skyrocket, are you okay?” 

He had about half a second before Jongin realized what was happening to explain, but came up with nothing over the realization that Jongin had been _listening _to his heartbeat...in a room _filled_ with humans. 

“Baekhyun? Jongdae?” Jongin asked, looking at Hyun and Chen. 

Luhan saw the exact moment Jongin put the pieces together, his eyes flicking between Chen at his neck, the knife in his hand, and the way Hyun was in a staring match with Luhan. 

Jongin snarled, reaching across Hyun and grabbing Chen by the hair, yanking him away from Luhan, who hissed in pain as Chen’s teeth were ripped from his neck. 

“Jongin, you’re our friend,” Hyun—or Baekhyun? As Jongin had called him—began, voice a dangerous purr, “but if you don’t let go of my mate, you’ll regret it.” 

He’d turned his back to Luhan, in order to face Jongin, who now had Jongdae firmly in his grasp, pinned against his chest as he struggled to get free. Luhan tightened his grip on his knife, got an arm around Baekhyun in a chokehold, and pressed his knife to his ribs, hard enough to prick through his shirt. 

“Don’t touch him, bloodsucker.” 

Baekhyun stiffened. “Tell me, little deer. Do you think you’re fast enough to put that little knife in my heart before I break your wrist?” 

Jongin snarled again. “Outside. Now.” He turned and frog marched Jongdae to the nearby back exit, while Luhan persuaded Baekhyun to follow with the point of his knife. 

The second he stepped out the door Baekhyun was out of his hold and grabbing for Jongdae, ripping him from Jongin and huddling against the wall opposite the door. Jongin ignored them, gently pulling Luhan to him and probing at his wound with gentle fingers. 

“Are you okay, wildcat?” 

He nodded. He was going to need to panic about how close he’d been to getting the life sucked out of him—_literally—_but he could do that later, when they were home. Right now, he needed to be present. “I’m fine.” 

Jongin looked highly skeptical, pursing his lips, but he did relax slightly. He turned to face the other two vampires. “Okay, what are you two doing hunting in my territory?” 

Baekhyun had his fingers in Jongdae’s mouth, gently poking at his fangs. “We stopped for a snack before coming to visit _you,_ actually.” 

“Damn, Jongin,” Jongdae whined. “Did you have to yank me so hard? I nearly lost a fang.” 

Jongin still had a hand on Luhan’s neck, pressing on his wound which was still seeping blood. “And you nearly killed my human!” 

“Oh, I did not.” Jongdae rolled his eyes. “He’s fine.” 

“Since when do you keep humans?” Baekhyun asked, skeptically eyeing Luhan. “I’ll admit he’s easy on the eyes, and an excellent kisser, but you’re not one to keep people around without a reason.” 

“I’d suggest ceasing that line of questioning, if you want a place to stay once the sun comes up,” Jongin replied, more growl than anything. 

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, sharing a weighted look with Jongdae. “Well, on that note, I think we’ll be off to find another snack, since this one is...” he leered at Luhan, “unavailable.” 

Luhan flipped him off, pleased to see his hand wasn’t even shaking as he did so. 

Baekhyun barked out a laugh, twinning his fingers through Jongdae’s. “Come, love.” 

Jongdae gave Luhan a last, lingering look before winking, and he and Baekhyun vanished into the night. 

“Fuckin’ vampires,” Luhan muttered, sheathing his knife back up his sleeve. 

“Come here, Lu,” Jongin said softly, grasping his hand and gently tugging him closer. 

“Why?” Luhan balked, resisting. 

“Let me seal that up for you,” Jongin replied, gesturing to his neck. “It’ll stop the bleeding and make it heal faster.” 

Luhan reluctantly let Jongin reel him in closer, breath hitching when Jongin bent his mouth down towards his neck. 

“Relax, hummingbird. I’m not going to bite.” 

He didn’t bite him. It was much worse than that. 

Jongin’s mouth closed over the wound in his neck, tongue carefully rasping over the tender puncture marks, cleaning away the blood and sucking at his skin, making Luhan shudder in response. He grasped Jongin’s biceps, his muscles going quivery as warmth rushed through him, radiating from where Jongin’s lips were on his neck. 

Jongin’s arms wrapped around his waist, holding him closer and up a little, still licking and sucking at his wound. “You taste very good, Luhan,” he whispered, nosing at the spot right below Luhan’s ear. His lips dragged along his jaw as he pulled away. 

Luhan shivered. He didn’t have the slightest clue how to respond to that. 

“Does it still hurt?” One of Jongin’s hands came up, fingertips brushing over his neck. 

Luhan wasn’t feeling much besides the tingling rush of warmth through his whole body. “No,” he managed to reply. 

“Are you sure? You seem a little woozy? Did he take a lot of blood?” 

He should his head. “No, hardly any. Barely got his teeth in before I had my knife at his ribs.” 

Jongin looked proud, considering Luhan had threatened one of his friends. “Good boy.” 

“Jongin! There you are!” Taeyong burst through the door into the alley, dragging a dazed human behind him. “Look, I found a human of my own! His name is Ten, can I take him home?” 

Jongin let go of Luhan, making sure he was stable on his feet before examining Taeyong’s human. “No, absolutely not. We don’t keep humans. They aren’t pets.” 

Taeyong pouted, his fangs poking over his bottom lip. “But he’s so cute. Please?” 

He was cute. Small and slim, lean muscles wrapped around delicate bones. A pretty face. Luhan had no doubt that any one of them could probably snap him in half like a little bird, but he _was_ devastatingly handsome. 

“No, let him go, Taeyong.” 

Taeyong hissed at Jongin. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Ten said, patting Taeyong on the arm. “I’ll give you my number. We can meet up some other time.” 

Taeyong cheered, offering his arm to Ten as he pulled a sharpie out of his pants pocket. 

Jongin tilted his head. “Do all humans carry markers in their pockets these days?” he whispered to Luhan. 

He’d grown up in a compound. He was the last person Jongin should ask about this. “Not that I know of?” 

They both watched as Ten proceeded to scrawl his number on Taeyong’s forearm in large, obvious numbers. Luhan counted ten digits and wondered if Jongdae would be willing to come back and finish him off. 

“Alright,” Jongin said, when writing down his number turned into making out aggressively. “Come on, Taeyong. We have guests coming over tonight, we must leave.” 

Luhan wasn’t surprised at all when Jongin ended up needing to forcibly drag Taeyong away from Ten by the nape of his neck. 

“Call me,” Ten yelled after them, waving one tiny hand. 

Taeyong was so occupied mooning after Ten that he didn’t even notice when Jongin thumped his head against the roof of their car as he shoved him bodily into the back seat. 

“First maker, I hate fledglings,” Jongin mumbled, opening the passenger door for Luhan. _“So_ fucking stupid.” 

If Luhan had thought having Seulgi around was stressful, it was nothing compared to Baekhyun and Jongdae. The only reason he knew they weren’t actually demons was the still healing bite marks on his neck. 

However, while he’d found Seulgi truly unsettling, he felt very unthreatened by Baekhyun and Jongdae. Sure, they could definitely kill him, but he was fairly certain he’d take one of them with him if they tried. 

Jongin seemed the most unsettled, of the two of them. Taeyong was too busy mooning over the human he’d picked up to notice, but Luhan had nothing to distract him from Jongin’s relentless pacing through various rooms in the house. 

“Will you sit? You’re making me dizzy.” Luhan was reading in the library, alone, when Jongin had decided to come in for the apparent reason of pacing for an audience. “Why are you so worried anyway.” He turned a page in his book. “They seem relatively harmless.” 

“They’re a menace. They make me nervous.” 

“Why?” Luhan asked blandly, not really caring. 

“They know too much. They’ve been around far too long, and unlike Minseok they don’t know how to keep their mouths shut.” 

Luhan paid a little more attention, the words in front of him holding less sway. “What do they know too much about?” 

Jongin continued to pace. “Me, specifically. Believe it or not, I’m actually very reclusive.” 

Luhan perked up even more. Information. Baekhyun and Jongdae had information about Jongin. And if he was certain about anything, it was that he needed to know so much more about Jongin than he did. 

“Are you saying you have secrets?” 

Jongin gave him a flat look. “I’m nearly six centuries old, Luhan. Of course I have secrets.” 

Luhan closed his book with a snap. “Tell me.” 

“Oh? Feeling brave today, hummingbird?” Jongin came to a halt, standing in front of him. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” 

“Fine.” 

Jongin raised an eyebrow. Luhan assumed it was in surprise. “Okay.” He sat on the other end of the small sofa. “A few decades ago, I had a familiar.” 

He blinked, looking up at the ceiling as he rolled the word around in his head. From what he remembered familiars were essentially convenient blood banks for vampires. Much like he suspected Ten was about to become for Taeyong. 

“Okay.” Luhan failed to see what significance that had or why Jongin was telling him something he already knew. 

“I fell in love with him.” 

That managed to snag Luhan’s interest. “Interesting,” he hummed, turning to face Jongin and crossing his legs under him, resting his chin in his hands, elbows on knees, book in his lap. “I didn’t know vampires could fall in love.” 

Jongin gave him a flat look. “Of course we can. We’re not heartless.” 

Luhan opened his mouth. 

“We have a heart. It just doesn’t beat,” Jongin snapped, defensive. 

Luhan closed his mouth. 

“Anyway, I thought it was mutual.” 

“You mean he didn’t love you back?” Luhan rolled his eyes. “Shocker.” 

“Fuck you’re nasty today,” Jongin grumbled. His eyes flashed gold. “Do you want to know this or not?” 

Luhan bit his tongue. All things considered he probably _shouldn’t_ go out of his way to piss off a vampire. 

“When he asked me to turn him, I got so excited. Finally, someone to keep me company over the decades, someone to love and be loved by. A companion. I’d never turned someone before.” 

“Did you botch it?” 

Jongin outright scowled at him. “No, I did not botch it. It went fine. He changed, became immortal. I taught him everything about being a vampire. Control, compassion, respect for life.” 

And here he thought vampires didn’t have respect for life, since they were technically dead. 

“Once he had a handle on being a vampire, he—well, he left. Walked out of my life and never looked back.” Jongin pulled one leg to his chest, hugging that knee, looking smaller than Luhan had ever seen him look. “It occurred to me, much later than it should have, that he only pretended to love me to gain immortality.” 

“Wow. Brutal.” 

“Baekhyun and Jongdae were around for the aftermath, along with Minseok. They kept me from going on a destructive rampage through the city, reminded me that I liked humans, that killing them out of sheer pettiness wasn’t me.” Jongin ran a hand through his hair. “It was one of my darkest moments, and I’m not proud of it.” 

“So, you don’t like them because they make you feel vulnerable,” Luhan surmised. “Interesting.” 

Jongin’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I said.” 

“Isn’t it?” Luhan hummed. “I suppose not.” It wasn’t wrong, though. 

He mulled over the new information, fingers playing with the corner of his book. Jongin shifted next to him, drawing his attention back to him. 

Jongin was watching him expectantly. 

“Do you need something?” 

“Secrets for secrets, wildcat.” 

_Wildcat. _It’d always bothered Luhan slightly, that Jongin called him that. It was practical at first, since Luhan didn’t want to give him his name until the barest minimum amount of trust had been established, but it only reminded him of how he’d gotten where he was. 

How much blood he’d spilt; all of it human. 

“I don’t know where to start,” Luhan admitted, leaning back against the arm of the couch and crossing his arms. 

“What city are you from?” 

“I’m not.” 

Jongin’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “Then where are you from?” 

That was the question, wasn’t it? “I don’t know how to explain it.” Jongin waited patiently while he stared at nothing, collecting his thoughts. “A prison. I’m from what essentially became a prison.” 

“How long had you been running before you found me?” 

“I don’t remember. A long time. Most of the night. I had to get far enough away that they wouldn’t find me.” 

“They?” 

“The people who raised me.” 

“And why would you need to run from them, hmm?” Jongin slid closer, gaze never wavering from Luhan’s face. “Why would you leave your family?” 

“They weren’t my family!” Luhan snapped. The lie soured in his mouth, coating his tongue in bitterness. “Not truly, anyway,” he amended. 

“Then what were they?” 

“Brothers. Captors. Teachers.” He struggled for words. 

“Hunters?” Jongin’s expression was serious, even if his eyes remained soft. 

Luhan hesitated, then nodded. 

“I figured as much. Between the way you act around vampires and what happened with Seulgi…it wasn’t exactly hard to suss out.” Jongin tilted his head, amusement flickering across his features. “If you were trying to hide that fact, you shouldn’t have revealed your knives.” Jongin reached forward and wrapped a gentle hand around his wrist, right where the hilt of his blade was resting, hidden under his sleeve. 

Luhan remained silent. He didn’t have much to say, honestly. And while he’d never been trying to hide his skills, having confirmation of how easily Jongin could see through him was unsettling. 

“How are your wounds?” Jongin changed the subject, perhaps understanding that Luhan was done talking for now. 

“Fine,” Luhan said. And it wasn’t even a lie. His cuts had scabbed over two weeks ago, and the ache in his ribs had eased considerably. They still hurt, giving him trouble now that he was resuming his usual physical regimen, but it was bearable instead of stabbing. His wrist was still tender, but manageable.

“Do you need new clothes? Do you like what you have?” 

Jongin’s hand was still on his wrist, warm and soft. 

“Uh, these are fine? I hadn’t even thought about where they were coming from, actually.” Ever since he’d arrived, the dresser in his room had been fully stocked with new underwear, shirts, pants, socks; all of it loose, soft clothing that was comfortable and well-fitted. 

Jongin shrugged, smiling softly. “I’ve been watching which clothes you wear more often, then shopping online for similar things and putting them in your room.” 

Well, that explained it, he supposed. “Um, thank you. I’ve never really—well. Where I came from, nice things weren’t part of my reality, so the soft shirts are a new kind of luxury.” 

“Life is too short to not have comfortable clothes.” 

“You’re immortal.” 

“That just means I’ve had more time to cultivate a refined opinion about these things.” 

Luhan employed all his newly regained mobility to shove a laughing Jongin to the floor. 

“Okay, I’ll leave you to your reading,” Jongin said, getting up. 

It took Luhan until Jongin was at the door to say, “You could stay, if you want. As long as you’re quiet.” 

It still took him by surprise, though, when Jongin sat back where he’d been, picking up a book of his own and opening it with a small smile. His brothers would kill him for making nice with a vampire…after killing the vampire first, of course. 

He didn’t know what he was doing anymore, but killing had never been his thing, and Jongin had never truly given him a reason to feel threatened by him. Unless he counted a few weeks ago when Jongin had pressed him up against a bookshelf, but that memory only made him feel a little warm. 

In the end, it was far easier to make nice with the vampire than worry about killing or being killed. Besides, it was nice to stretch out a bit while reading, tangling his legs ever so slightly with Jongin’s. 

Baekhyun and Jongdae were a level of annoying Luhan had not accounted for. It hadn’t been more than a week since they’d come to stay with Jongin, and Luhan was ready to stab them both just to get some damn sleep. In living with vampires he’d started to shift toward a more nocturnal schedule—sleeping through the afternoon and into the evening—but the few hours he was asleep and the vampires were up became significantly harder to sleep through with Baekhyun and Jongdae around. 

They were so _loud._

“Do you have a mute button?” he asked, shuffling into the kitchen to begin a desperate search for coffee. 

Baekhyun made a sound somewhere between a scoff and a screech of outrage. “Yeah, fuck you too, grumpy.” 

Luhan flipped him off. 

“You’re awfully cavalier for someone we could kill in about two seconds,” Jongdae smirked, hooking his chin over Baekhyun’s shoulder as they both stared at him unblinkingly. “Reckless.” 

Jongin, the kind soul he was, handed Luhan a mug of coffee. “Figured you would need some, so I brewed a pot before you woke up,” he explained, when Luhan tilted his head in silent question. 

He greedily drank it down. “First of all,” he began, turning to Jongdae and Baekhyun again, “I could absolutely take you in a fight.” He felt Jongin’s fingers on his neck, checking the healing wound from Jongdae’s teeth. He took another sip, waking up even more. “And second, Jongin wouldn’t let you hurt me.” 

The room suddenly went the quietest it had ever been since Baekhyun had entered it. Jongin’s fingers stilled on his neck, before withdrawing with a soft brush of skin on skin. 

Baekhyun and Jongdae were staring at Jongin with a strange sort of intensity. 

“It’s true,” he said with a shrug. Baekhyun’s jaw dropped open. “Luhan could totally take you in a fight.” 

Luhan snickered into his coffee while Jongdae and Baekhyun took a moment to loudly protest about betrayal and slander. He’d almost made it out of the kitchen unmolested when Jongdae appeared in front of him with that uncanny vampire speed. 

“We should spar, then.” 

“What.” 

“If you’re so sure you can take one of us, we should spar.” Jongdae grinned, more than a little fangy. “Besides, I haven’t had a good fight in decades.” He ran narrow eyes over Luhan’s body. “Then again, not sure you’ll be much of one, but I’m willing to try anyway.” 

Well. Luhan couldn’t let that kind of insult slide. If one of his brothers had said that he’d have laid them out on their back by now. 

“Fine,” Luhan agreed, holding his coffee mug out so Jongin could take it from his hand. “Back lawn, ten minutes.” 

He had his knives to get. 

“So, the kitty has claws, mmh?” 

Luhan rolled his eyes, pacing slowly around Jongdae as they circled each other on the back lawn. He had a knife in each hand, another sheathed at the dip of his spine, hidden beneath his shirt. 

Jongin and Baekhyun were off to the side, a beam of moonlight making them look even more ethereal than they already were. They both seemed relaxed, although Jongin’s gaze remained fixed on Luhan, his eyes a little tight. 

“Bring it, bloodsucker.” 

Sparring with Jongdae was nothing like sparring with his brothers had been. While Luhan had constantly trained with those faster and stronger than him—like Kyungsoo and Tao—it was nothing that could prepare him for the speed at which Jongdae lunged for him. 

Jongdae got a hand around his wrist, yanking it away from his body while his other hand grabbed at the front of Luhan’s shirt, pulling him in. Luhan reached for the knife at the hollow of his back, stabbing it into Jongdae’s side. 

With a furious hiss, Jongdae let him go and backed away, holding his side. “Don’t you think two knives is overkill? Also: unfair.” 

Luhan rolled his eyes, not relaxing his guard in the least. “Please, you’ve already healed. You should never assume that I have just _one_ knife. That’s on you.” 

“You really shouldn’t underestimate him,” Jongin called softly, one hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder to presumably keep him from joining the fray. “There’s a reason I call him wildcat.” 

Luhan remained crouched, defensive. Muscles relaxed and ready to move. His blood was singing through his veins, adrenaline flooding his system as the danger of the fight took over. He remained patient, wondering if he would outlast Jongdae’s. 

“Is that all you’ve got, demon?” Luhan murmured, knowing Jongdae would hear it. A little push couldn’t hurt. 

Baekhyun’s snarl was absorbed by Jongdae’s much louder growl, his hands clenching into fists as he closed the distance between them. 

Luhan bounced on the balls of his feet, spinning the knife in his right hand in his grip—a showy, arrogant move he didn’t need to do, but it certainly worked in drawing Jongdae’s gaze to his right hand. 

In the brief second Jongdae’s eyes were distracted by the flash of silver in the moonlight, Luhan cocked his left arm back, letting his other knife flip through the air and embed in Jongdae’s shoulder. 

He grunted, his eyes flashing ruby red, and lunged for Luhan. 

He ran forward, dropping down to slide under Jongdae as he launched himself where Luhan was a moment ago, the slight damp of the grass aiding him as he slid. He scrambled to his feet just in time to grab Jongdae from behind, his left hand wrapping around his torso to grab at the knife in his shoulder, keeping him steady as his right hand brought the tip of his other knife right below Jongdae’s sternum, angled for his heart. 

“Yield.” 

Jongdae snarled, injured in both body and pride. “I yield.” 

Luhan waited another petty second before he stepped away from Jongdae, taking his knives with him. 

Jongdae screeched when he was free and flung himself toward Baekhyun, who was hissing and glaring at Luhan. 

“What? He asked for it.” Luhan blinked at Baekhyun, wiping his knives clean of Jongdae’s blood on the grass. “I warned you I could take you guys.” 

Jongdae turned to Jongin. “The only humans that can fight like that. Belong to the Delacroix clan.” 

Baekhyun growled and pulled Jongdae behind him a little, not taking his eyes off Luhan. “Why would you keep one of _them_ in your house? Jongin, are you insane?” 

Jongin crossed his arms, his lips thinning into a firm line. “Luhan, come with me. Baekhyun, take Jongdae inside, get some rest. Go feed if you need to.” 

Jongin approached him, holding out a hand. Luhan stared at it blankly. Did Jongin want his knives? 

He grunted as Jongin huffed in exasperation and pulled him into his arms, the world spinning as they were suddenly in Luhan’s room. 

“You have _got_ to stop doing that.” 

Jongin sat him on the bed. “Start talking, Luhan.” 

Luhan bit his lip, setting his knives aside as he tried to figure out how much Jongin was going to want from him before he’d let Luhan be. 

“I was raised by Delacroix.” He paused, shook his head. “No. I was kidnapped when I was little—I barley remember it—but I remember being taken to the compound. They trained me, more than raised me.” 

Jongin sat next to him on the bed. “Luhan, people don’t escape from that clan.” 

He knew. He looked down at his lap, at his fingernails crusted with Jongdae’s blood. “You’re right. They don’t.” He lifted his gaze until his eyes locked with Jongin’s. “But I did.” 

A frown flashed across the angled planes of Jongin’s face. “How?” 

Luhan’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth. Memories that had haunted his sleep the last few weeks clamoring to be voiced, given the time he’d been denying them. “I left at night. I was still spotted. I knew I would be, probably, but I didn’t expect it to be by my best friend.” 

Jongin placed a cool hand on his own, squeezing gently. 

“I-I was desperate to get away. They’d made me into a killer, but I’d never really wanted that. Kyungsoo tried to stop me from leaving. I,” Luhan paused, his throat tightening. “I stabbed him, walked over his body, and ran.” 

“Oh, hummingbird.” 

He couldn’t look at the pity he was sure filled Jongin’s eyes. “I never wanted to be a killer, but I was that night. I don’t remember how many of them I ended up fighting off, stabbing, _killing,_ in my efforts to escape. But it was too many.” He shook his head. “There are a lot of things I was trained to be, but in trying to free myself, I only proved to myself that their training worked. That I was exactly what they’d wanted me to be.” 

Jongin squeezed his hand gently again, once, waiting until Luhan looked at him again to smile softly. “Thank you for telling me.” 

“That’s how you found me.” 

“Running for your life.” 

Silence settled over them. He didn’t know when, exactly, he’d come to trust Jongin. Sometime over the weeks of living with him, at his mercy, and being relatively safe and taken care of, it had gotten easier. The more Jongin proved that half of what he’d been taught about vampires and the way they were slaves to bloodlust was completely wrong, the easier it was to open himself up. To let Jongin protect him in the moments when he felt weakest. 

“Are they looking for you?” 

Almost certainly. “Possibly.” 

Jongin frowned at him again. “You know I can tell when you’re not telling me everything, right?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then why do you insist on partial truths?” 

“Because as much as I trust you, there are some things I’m not comfortable with you knowing.” 

“That’s fair, I suppose.” Then, “You trust me?” 

Luhan stiffened. Shit. He hadn’t meant to admit that, really. “I mean. I trust you not to kill me.” 

A hum. “Is that all? So little?” 

He held his breath as Jongin turned to him and leaned closer, making Luhan’s heart leap into his throat in something that felt suspiciously like excitement. “Maybe a little more than that,” Luhan conceded. 

Jongin’s nose brushed his. “Oh?” 

When Luhan nodded their lips were so close that it was nothing for them to brush, ever so slightly, when Luhan whispered, “I trust you to keep me safe.” 

“Always,” Jongin confirmed, before he closed the scant space between them, lips sliding together effortlessly. 

Of all the reactions he could have had to Jongin kissing him, relaxing into him and sighing was not what he expected. Jongin’s lips were tender against his own, so careful Luhan almost couldn’t feel the pressure of his mouth. 

He looped his arms around Jongin’s neck, and a tiny, aware part of him screamed _what are you doing?_

As he moved closer, Jongin became more aggressive, kissing deeper, cradling Luhan’s head and controlling the angle, his other hand at Luhan’s waist, thumb brushing against his ribs in familiar strokes. Luhan tugged at Jongin’s upper lip, pleasure sweeping up his spine as Jongin gasped, a sound that seemed involuntary. 

Jongin nibbled on his bottom lip with quickly sharpening teeth, his tongue darting out to soothe when his fangs scraped harshly. 

Luhan tipped his head back, because while Jongin didn’t need to breathe, he most certainly did, and he shivered as Jongin’s mouth moved along his jaw and down his neck, sharp teeth dragging along his skin in the most dangerous of flirtations. It was that, more than anything, that broke through the haze clouding his mind. 

What was happening? 

“Jongin,” he gasped, fingers sinking into Jongin’s hair as he mouthed at a particularly sensitive spot. “What are we doing?” 

Jongin’s mouth slowed, and Luhan wanted to whine. He didn’t want Jongin to stop. But no matter how good it felt, he had no idea what was happening. “I’m kissing you.” 

“Why?” 

Jongin pulled away, golden eyes searching Luhan’s plain brown. “Because I’ve wanted to for a long time. And I trust you.” 

Trust. 

Such a giving concept. “I’m not sure I deserve that trust.” 

Jongin’s thumb caressed his cheek lightly, his other hand coming up to run his fingers through the long strands of Luhan’s hair. “I know you’re still keeping things from me. I’m trusting that you’ll tell me when you’re ready.” 

“I will,” Luhan promised. Even if he was confused by the new shift in this...relationship, he wanted to tell Jongin. At his own pace. When he was ready. 

He wasn’t yet ready to give up the safety he had. 

“But not right now.” Luhan pulled away from Jongin, all too aware of the hurt that flashed through Jongin’s eyes as he did so. “I have a lot to think about.” 

Jongin’s hands fell away from his face, coming to rest at his sides on the bed. “When you’re ready, then. You know where I’ll be.” 

_Waiting._

Luhan nodded, licking lips that still tingled from Jongin’s kiss. “I know.” 

Jongin stood, pressed a kiss to Luhan’s forehead in farewell, and vanished from the room. 

He told himself that it didn’t feel any emptier than it had a few seconds ago. 

“If I join you, are you going to stab me?” 

Luhan looked up from the book he was unsuccessfully distracting himself with to eye Baekhyun skeptically. Usually the vampires left him alone in the library, with the exception of Jongin. But he hadn’t seen much of Jongin in the last few days since, well. “Depends on how much noise you make.” 

“I can be quiet!” 

“Really? I’ve yet to see it.” 

Baekhyun snatched a book from a shelf—seemingly at random—and settled himself in a nearby armchair, grumbling the whole while. 

Luhan got through another dozen pages before Baekhyun, predictably, shattered the silence with a dramatic sigh. 

“I’m bored.” 

“It’s been ten minutes.” 

“So _long.”_

“Eternity must be a daunting prospect for you, then, if you’re bored this easily. How do you manage?” 

Baekhyun’s smile was nothing short of lascivious. “Lots of sex.” 

He made a valiant effort at pretending he wasn’t absolutely disgusted by the idea of Baekhyun having sex with anyone. “Still, there’s only so long before that’s off the table as well.” 

“Not with vampires. We can go as long as we want.” Baekhyun’s smile turned even greasier. “But didn’t you already know that? Considering we all know Jongin isn’t keeping you here out of his warm, charity-driven heart.” 

He wasn’t sure he liked what Baekhyun was implying. He toyed with his sleeve, pushing it up until the hilt of his smallest knife was visible against his arm. “Why Jongin is keeping me here is none of your business,” he replied softly. 

Faster than he could track, Baekhyun was in front of him, leaning over him and caging him into the corner of the couch. “That’s where you’re wrong, hunter scum.” Baekhyun’s brown eyes flashed red, canines looking sharp. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re a threat, and I have every right to be worried about the safety of my friend. For all we know, you could be a spy, sent to learn the location of one of the most powerful vampires in the country, just so your cult can sweep in and take him out.” 

_Chosen one,_ the voices in the back of his mind whispered. 

“So is threatening humans another way for you to cope with the daunting prospect of your eternal life as a demon, or am I just special?” 

Baekhyun hissed, fangs out, before visibly reigning himself back. “I can’t see why he’d keep something as annoying as you around. Especially if he’s not feeding off you.” Baekhyun leaned in closer, sniffing delicately at his neck. 

Luhan’s fingers itched for his knife. 

“With you smelling the way you do, there’s no way I could resist for so long.” Baekhyun tilted his head. “Then again, you are pretty. Maybe that’s why he keeps you.” 

Luhan placed a finger in the center of Baekhyun’s chest, pushing him back slightly. It was telling that Baekhyun let him. “Why don’t you go and play with that pretty mate of yours? I’m trying to read here.” 

“Sometimes I hope I’m right, and you are a spy. Just so I can _really _enjoy killing you, because maker knows Jongin won’t. Not after what he went through with Sehun.” 

“Baekhyunnie!” Jongdae’s voice floated down the hallway, vibrant and rich as he sang the syllables of Baekhyun’s name. 

“You’re being summoned,” Luhan smirked. 

“If you hurt Jongin, in any way, I’ll end you. And I’ll make it slow.” Baekhyun flicked him in the center of his forehead, hard, before waltzing from the room with a cheery, “Jongdae, my love!” 

Luhan rubbed ruefully where Baekhyun had flicked him. Baekhyun had threatened him in the way Luhan had expected Jongin to back when he’d first realized he would be here for a while. Jongin had only ever cared about his comfort, had never pushed Luhan for information, hadn’t even cared when Luhan revealed he was much more dangerous than he let on. 

_One of the most powerful vampires in the country. _That’s what Baekhyun had said. His stomach swooped as Jongin’s nonchalance was contextualized differently. Jongin had never worried about Luhan because he wasn’t afraid of Luhan’s past. 

Luhan wasn’t a threat to him. He never had been. 

_Humanity’s savior. _He scoffed. He couldn’t even save himself. 

His thoughts spun in a different direction, catching on something Baekhyun had said right before he’d left. _Sehun. _

That had to be the familiar Jongin had mentioned. The one he’d turned, only to be abandoned by him later. The one he’d loved. 

As part of Delacroix, Luhan had been taught that love was the greatest weakness. That nothing made humans—or vampires—weaker than caring for something more than one cared for oneself. He was to never, under any circumstances or conditions, allow himself to weaken by falling in love. 

It seemed natural, then, that if they weren’t to fall in love, that they’d learn to rely on each other more firmly, developing into a unit, capable of acting individually but so close-knit that they could move as a single entity as well. They learned how to watch each other’s backs, how to fight together, _move _together, and even—when they felt too big for their own skins and everything burned—how to take the edge off for one another. 

They’d said not to fall in love, but Luhan wasn’t sure what it meant, then, that his brothers were his entire world. That he knew each of them intimately, knew every detail, everything from their favorite colors, to how they liked to get off. 

They weren’t supposed to fall in love, and yet Luhan felt like attachments were just as dangerous. It only took seeing Chanyeol put his own life at risk to help Kyungsoo out of a sticky spot once, nearly getting stabbed in the process by Yifan’s knife, for Luhan to realize that emotions, in general, couldn’t be trusted. 

And when you couldn’t trust anyone, or yourself, there was very little left. 

Maybe, if Luhan hadn’t formed the attachments he had to his brothers, stabbing them in the back—literally and figuratively—wouldn’t have felt so awful. 

Love was a weakness, and Jongin was his enemy. 

Right? 

It was early in the morning when he finally left the sanctuary of the library. He hadn’t heard a sound from Baekhyun or Jongdae in a few hours, and Taeyong had been non-existent since he’d started bringing Ten over most nights. 

Luhan tried not to think about what they were getting up to. 

Normally, Jongin would keep him company through the hours of the night, either by reading with him or by convincing him to play various games which Jongin always won, despite Luhan’s obvious and shameless cheating. But Jongin had been scarce since their kiss, choosing to spend his time elsewhere. 

He tried not to think too hard about what Jongin might be doing. 

Luhan heard a distant thud echo in the hallway on his way back upstairs, making him reach for his knives and turn back. Noise this close to dawn, and coming from where the vampires usually slept through the day, couldn’t be good. Jongin could take care of himself, but Luhan knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until he knew everyone was safe, himself included. 

Jongin didn’t need his help, he quickly realized as he peered around the corner and into the basement hallway. 

Jongin was pressed up against the wall—presumably the action that had caused the thud—by a silver haired vampire, who was kissing Jongin like he was starving. They were just close enough for Luhan to hear the way the smaller vampire murmured, “Missed you, baby,” against Jongin’s neck as he kissed there, the flash of his teeth visible. 

“I—hhng—wasn’t expecting you to drop by, Tae,” Jongin panted, groaning as Tae hitched one of his legs over his hip and pressed closer, insistent. “It’s been too long.” 

They both moaned as Tae started a steady grind of their hips. “Let me take care of you, Nini baby.” 

“It’s been a while since you’ve stopped by, Taemin. You sure you remember how?” Jongin moaned, tugging at silver hair and leaning down to kiss him, slow and deep. 

“Always, baby.” Taemin pulled him away from the wall, and Luhan ducked out of sight around the corner, listening as the sounds of shuffling feet and kissing faded, a door clicking shut softly. 

Luhan felt something hot crawling its way up his throat, tasting an awful lot like jealousy when it reached his mouth. 

Jongin didn’t owe him anything. It had just been a kiss; he didn’t belong to Luhan. But why, then, did it sting so much? He quickly made his way back to his room, ignoring Taeyong and Ten, cuddled together on a couch in one of the rooms he passed, laughing quietly between kisses. 

He was alone, his room quiet and still when he entered, and it felt bad. 

Love was a weakness. The ache in his chest wouldn’t go away, the image of Jongin kissing someone else replaying behind his eyes, sticking where he couldn’t brush it away. 

He changed into softer clothes, then curled up under the soft white sheets of his bed as the room lightened with the oncoming dawn. He tried not to think, to let his mind go blank as he tried to drift into sleep. 

He wasn’t successful, and his last thoughts as he finally did slip into sleep were all wondering who Taemin was, and what he was to Jongin. 

_Luhan barely managed to duck in time to avoid a nasty swipe of Yixing’s knife, stumbling until his back pressed up against Kyungsoo’s, who was busy fighting off Tao. _

_“Trade?” Kyungsoo asked, redirecting the thrust of Tao’s blade. _

_Luhan shifted his weight, prompting Kyungsoo to spin around him, trading places. Kyungsoo was better equipped to handle the wicked curve of Yixing’s Deerhorn knives than Luhan was. He and Yixing preferred the same knife, which made their sparring too similar for a real challenge. _

_The dragon claw crescent knives that both Yifan and Tao used were a much bigger challenge, and something Kyungsoo’s preferred stiletto knives wouldn’t be as effective against. Luhan flexed his fingers, feeling the leather of the grips give as his hands shifted slightly. Tao lunged, making Luhan spin away from Kyungsoo’s back to avoid the hit, sweeping his arm in a wide arc to make Tao duck out of the way of his curved blade. _

_Tao aimed a punch at his ribs, letting the spiked tips of the guards over his fingers like particularly vicious steel knuckles carry the threat for him. Luhan had been on the receiving end of that aspect of Tao’s knives one too many times, and dodged, grunting when he had to defend an attack from Tao’s other hand, stopping the wickedly sharp point of his dragon claw knife an inch from his ribs. _

_They continued to dance, trading almost blows and skillfully redirecting strikes, neither getting the upper hand as they moved in precise, practiced movements. Tao’s hyena giggle sounded through the practice room, giving Luhan an opening as Tao got lost in the excitement of a fight. _

_With a cry of victory, he made the killing stroke, pulling his hit at the last second so he didn’t actually hurt Tao. _

_The dream shifted, and suddenly it was Kyungsoo in front of him, his own precious stiletto in Luhan’s grip, blinking up at Luhan with wide-eyed shock._

_“Soo!” Chanyeol’s cry of anguish startled Luhan, who looked down at his hands with horror, seeing the knife sunk to the hilt in Kyungsoo’s stomach. The knife in his own hands. _

_“Why?” Kyungsoo choked, blood spraying from his mouth as he coughed wetly. _

_Luhan caught him as his knees gave out. ”Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo! Hold on, it’s going to be okay, you’re gonna be fine!” _

_But Kyungsoo wasn’t listening to him. He was looking over at Chanyeol, who was running across the yard, desperate to get to him. “Why did you kill me, Luhan?” Kyungsoo let his head loll back in Luhan’s direction, looking up at him with teary eyes. “We were brothers.”_

_Luhan choked on a sob. He needed to _go._ He looked up. Chanyeol was so close. He couldn’t let Chanyeol catch him. _

_“Luhan! Don’t do it!” Chanyeol cried, perhaps sensing his intention. _

_“I’m so sorry, Soo.” Luhan yanked the knife from Kyungsoo’s stomach with a sob, getting to his feet and turning to run, hearing Chanyeol’s anguished cry following him as he ran. _

_He didn’t remember who else he fought off, but he suspected that it was Yifan’s fist that broke his ribs. == He was certain that Yixing’s knife was responsible for the cut in his side, and as he stumbled through the forest, employing everything he knew to hide his trail while trying to stop his wounds from dripping blood everywhere. He ran and ran, but no amount of distance could dim the way Kyungsoo had looked at him; the disbelief and betrayal in his beautiful, soulful eyes. _

When he woke, it wasn’t with a scream, but with a deep, desperate inhale. It was dusk, the room dimming as the sun set, and he took a moment to be relieved that he slept through most of the day before his nightmares woke him. Every moment with Kyungsoo and his brothers flashed through his mind, guilt and heartbreak swirling within in a horrifying cocktail of emotions he didn’t want to face. 

His eyes felt hot, throat tight, and he pulled his knees to his chest, curled up on his side, and let the tears come. He hadn’t grieved, yet, for everything he’d lost. At the time, when he’d left, it felt like the best option. To leave before he could be used to bring about the destruction of dozens. 

Monsters or not, he wouldn’t have that much blood on his hands, chosen one be damned. 

But now, as light faded from the earth and darkness crept in, the price of his choice felt unforgivably high. Kyungsoo was gone, the rest of his brothers probably looking for him to exact revenge for the lives he’d taken, the hunters he’d killed when he was supposed to be killing _vampires._

His pillow grew wet as he unraveled under the pressure of his grief, the guilt like an anchor, keeping him in place. Inconsolable. 

“Hummingbird?” 

_Of course. _Fuck vampires and their supernatural senses. Their ability to hear things from floors apart. He stilled, trying to stifle a sob halfway up his throat, only succeeding in making himself cough, _then _sob. 

“Oh, sweet Luhan.” Jongin’s figure swam in his vision, barely discernible in the dark of the room. When had it gotten so dark? Jongin was level with his face, probably crouched by the side of the bed. “What’s wrong?” 

Luhan shook his head, rolling onto his back and blinking up at the ceiling. “Just a nightmare. I’m fine.” 

The bed sank under Jongin’s weight. “You’re not.” 

It was right on the tip of his tongue, the “Why do you care?”, especially when he could smell sex on Jongin, but he swallowed the words back down. He knew Jongin cared. He always had. And no once-a-decade booty call changed that fact. 

“I’m not,” he admitted with a sob. “I’m really, really nuh-not.” 

Jongin made a soft, distressed sound, slipping under the covers to pull Luhan close with a tentative, “Is this okay?” 

Luhan rolled into him, letting Jongin hold him, keeping the fragile pieces of him from scattering apart. He was most certainly getting snot and tears all over Jongin’s soft shirt. 

“Talk to me. What’s upsetting you this much?” 

Luhan struggled to calm down. Talking would help, probably, and Jongin had always proved to listen. He didn’t want to say the words he knew he needed too. Speaking them would make it real, somehow. 

“I’m afraid that if I talk about it, it’ll make it real.” 

Jongin smoothed his hair out of his eyes. “Wildcat, if you’re this upset, it’s already real.” 

“I just.” Luhan took a bracing breath. “Every time I close my eyes, I see the moment I stabbed my best friend, my brother, and I can’t escape Kyungsoo’s eyes. The betrayal, the hurt, the disbelief that I would ever do something like that.” He shook his head, feeling his forehead brush against Jongin’s neck. “I hate myself.” 

“You did what you had to right?” 

Luhan swallowed. “Yes. They-they wanted me to be the catalyst. To be the one to start a war with vampires. ’The Chosen One’ they called me. But I didn’t want to have the blood of so many people on my hands. I wouldn’t let them use me like that.” Luhan licked his lips, chapped from crying. “So I ran. And I had to hurt the only people I’ve ever cared about to do it, because they all _believe_ that what we were raised for was right, that it was a just cause.” 

“And you don’t?” Jongin’s voice was carefully even, his tone completely neutral. 

“I did.” Oh, how he did. He believed everything he was fed at that compound. That his parents had given him to Delacroix as an offering, that vampires where bloodthirsty monsters that killed indiscriminately and without compunction. 

That love was a weakness. 

But in the light of his own mind, and once he’d stepped outside the compound and experienced the outside world for the first time, he’d realized sooner or later that everything he knew was a lie. 

“But I don’t anymore.” 

Jongin’s lips pressed against his forehead. “Good. Because you aren’t a killer. You’re _good._ Maybe a bit too snarky for your own good.” 

Luhan felt Jongin’s lips tug into a smile as he snorted in amusement. 

“They’ll be looking for me,” Luhan admitted after a long moment. “I’m their chosen one, they won’t let me just _leave.”_

“Nini?” 

Luhan stiffened, looking over his shoulder to see Taemin in the doorway. 

“Oh, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” The concern in Taemin’s eyes confused Luhan so much he briefly forgot how upset he was. 

“Um.” 

“He had a nightmare, Tae.” Jongin ran careful fingers through Luhan’s hair, his hand settling on the nape of his neck. “I’ll join you in a minute.” 

“Nonsense,” Taemin declared, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him, scooting up onto the bed to rest behind Luhan. Not touching, but close enough that Luhan could feel the warmth he projected. “I can help.” 

Jongin sighed. ”Luhan, this is Taemin. He’s my best friend and he’s good at soothing emotions.” Jongin looked at Taemin over Luhan’s shoulder. “We’re in the middle of a conversation, it’s up to Luhan whether or not you stay.” 

“It’s fine.” The more personal things had already been divulged. Besides, if he’d read Taemin right then he’d probably been eavesdropping for a while anyway. 

“There’s no reason to be afraid, Luhan,” Jongin assured, picking their conversation back up. “I can handle a few hunters.” 

“Hunters?” Taemin’s voice sounded far too excited for Luhan’s liking. “Are we expecting a fight.” 

“Delacroix are looking for Luhan. It’s likely that they’ll find Luhan and we’ll have to deal with them.” Jongin ran a hand up and down his back soothingly, relaxing Luhan as he took a few last shuddery breaths. 

Taemin hummed, a contemplative sound. A gentle hand squeezed his arm. “How’d you get mixed up with them, kid? They’re hardcore.” 

It was weird, having Jongin’s vampiric booty call soothing him, but Taemin exuded a calming aura, making Luhan feel surrounded on all sides by safety. “They kidnapped me when I was really young, then brainwashed me with their philosophy, turned me into the perfect hunter, then told me I was the chosen one.” 

“The fuck is a chosen one?” 

“He was going to lead the fight against vampires,” Jongin explained, much to Luhan’s relief. He didn’t want to go through this again. “He was like, their super special hunter.” 

Luhan choked on an inhale. “I don’t know if I’d put it _that _way.” 

Taemin scooted closer to him. “You should hear the way Jonginnie here talks about you. It’s endless praise. He tells me you put Jongdae in his place.” 

Luhan was close enough to Jongin that he could feel the faint rise in temperature of his skin, as if he was flush with embarrassment, although his skin remained its usually golden hue. 

“Tae, shut up.” 

“Oh, but he’s so cute, Nini. So fragile and sweet.” Taemin pressed closer still, but it only felt comforting to Luhan, rather than invasive. “Are you going to keep him?” 

Jongin choked. “_Tae.”_

“What? It was just a question.” 

Luhan felt drowsy, despite already sleeping for several hours. Then again, it hadn’t exactly been restful sleep. But at least he’d stopped crying. It felt a little easier, too, to deal with the emotions. Like the burden was less, now that it was shared. 

“Sleepy, hummingbird?” Jongin’s lips were against his skin again, making him hum contentedly. 

“A little.” 

“You call him _hummingbird?”_ Taemin whispered. “Oh, Jongin.” 

“Sleep, Luhan.” Jongin’s thumb brushed against the hair at the back of his head, “You’re safe here.” 

Luhan, cuddled and warm between two vampires, as safe as he could get, drifted. 

“I haven’t seen you this deep in shit since you fell in love with Sehun,” Taemin said softly, so quietly Luhan wasn’t sure if it was reality or dream. “You’ve got it bad.” 

“I know.” Faint pressure at his back, like Jongin was subconsciously squeezing him closer. “Trust me, I’m tragically aware of the irony.” 

“It would be just your luck.” 

“You’re going to wake him.” 

“Nah, I soothed him enough that he’ll be out for an hour or two. But we should stay here, just in case.” A pause. “Wouldn’t want him to have another nightmare, after all.” 

“No, we wouldn’t.” 

Taemin said something else, but it was muffled, cotton filling his ears as sleep pulled him fully into its embrace. 

Luhan woke to the sensation of fingers pulling through his hair. He had a headache, and his eyes felt heavy and gritty. It took him a moment to realize that he was laying on a still, unmoving chest, completely tangled in sheets and limbs. 

“I know you’re awake,” Jongin said softly, his voice rumbling through Luhan’s head. “Your heartbeat is speeding up.” 

Luhan groaned, then lifted the hand he’d thrown around Jongin’s waist in his sleep to rub at his eyes. He should care that he’d woken up in Jongin’s arms...again. But he was too tired, too emotionally hungover to muster up anything other than relief at not having to wake up alone. “What time is it?” 

“Not quite midnight,” Jongin replied. His hand kept combing through Luhan’s hair, his other hand moving up and down his back in slow strokes. “Feel better?” 

No. But he felt less weighed down. “Maybe. Time will tell.” He licked his lips, mouth feeling dry. “Where’s your booty call?” 

Jongin wheezed. “My _what?”_

Luhan stretched, arching into Jongin before relaxing against him again, boneless and warm. “Taemin. Your vampire booty call.” 

He was jostled as Jongin squirmed under him, blinking slowly as Jongin rearranged their positions until he was able to look at Luhan. “He’s not a booty call. He’s, well...” Jongin trailed off, clearly struggling for his words. 

“Your best friend?” 

“Well, yes, but it’s more than that.” 

Once again, he felt that surge of jealousy zip through him. “Then...your boyfriend?” 

Jongin frowned at him. “No, it’s. Taemin is a few centuries older than me, and he’s always had a very casual view on intimacy and relationships. He drops by every few years and we spend anywhere from a week to a decade inseparable, and then he’ll go off and do his own thing for a while. It’s just how we are, and in some ways, how a lot of vampires are.” 

Luhan took a moment to wrap his head around that concept. “So, what happens if you’re in a relationship when he drops by?” 

Jongin gave him a considering look. “Depends on who I’m in a relationship with, and whether or not they’d be okay with Taemin joining us for a while.” Jongin’s hand was heavy where it rested on his hip. “It’s been a long time since I was in a relationship with someone, so it hasn’t been an issue before.” 

He picked absently at Jongin’s shirt, wondering. “Okay.” 

“Why do you ask?” 

“No reason.” He was certain he didn’t sound nearly as nonchalant as he aimed for. 

“Are you two going to laze around in bed all night?” Taemin came into the room, sitting on the edge of Luhan’s bed behind Jongin. “Half the night is gone, Jongin.” 

Luhan’s stomach rumbled faintly. 

“Oh, the human is hungry,” Taemin cooed, reaching over to stroke Luhan’s hair. 

He contemplated smacking Taemin’s hand away, before remembering that Taemin was _centuries_ older than Jongin, and someone Luhan probably didn’t want to mess with. That, and Jongin had his hands trapped against his chest between them. 

“Come on,” Jongin said. “Let’s get up and moving, and get you some food.” 

Luhan made a face, but let Taemin help him up. “I’m not an invalid.” 

Jongin opened his mouth. 

“Not anymore.” 

“What would you like to eat?” Jongin said, like the wise, centuries old being he was. 

“I can make my own food!” Luhan shrieked, mostly because Jongin had scooped him up like a doll again and moved them into the kitchen without warning, Taemin following a second behind. 

“You had rough night though,” Taemin protested. “Let us make you something to eat. You deserve to be pampered.” 

Luhan sank into a seat at the table like a rock in water. “Am I still dreaming? Why are you being so nice to me?” 

Jongin looked at him like he was very, very dumb. “I’m always nice to you? It’s you who’s the mean one.” 

“Jongin is fond of you,” Taemin said, ruthlessly. 

“I like him,” Luhan said, pointing to Taemin. “He can stay.” 

“Taemin is here?!” Baekhyun’s screech filled the kitchen without warning. 

“Aw hell yeah!” Jongdae entered a half step behind him, looking just as excited. 

“You didn’t tell me Baek and Dae were here!” Taemin rushed over to them excitedly, he and Baekhyun immediately picking up a conversation that was too fast for Luhan to follow, gesturing animatedly with their hands. 

Instead, he willed strength into his legs and stood up, wandering over to where Jongin was chopping up vegetables in preparation for something. “So, you’re fond of me?” 

Jongin’s knife missed a beat. “Of course, wasn’t it obvious?” 

Luhan hummed. “Maybe, but it’s nice to hear it all the same.” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “Is this because we kissed the other day?” 

Jongin’s knife slipped completely and if here were human, Luhan was certain he would have lost a finger. 

“I think you know it’s not. I’m not so shallow as to only want someone because I want to kiss them.” 

Luhan did know. “So then, you _like,_ like me.” 

Jongin squinted at the cutting board, his nose scrunching up in distaste. “I mean, I would never put it in such shallow terms, but yes, I have developed a certain level of affection for you that I only see growing, and not decreasing.” 

“There, was that so hard?” 

Jongin gave him a look from the corner of his eye. “No, but I’m not the one who has trouble talking about his feelings, now am I?” 

Luhan hissed. “Well that’s just rude.” He crossed his arms, leaning a hip against the counter. “I can talk about things. When I have to.” 

Jongin scooped up the vegetables he’d been chopping and dropped them into a pot before giving Luhan a flat look. “I think you should work on that.” 

“What are you making?” 

“Soup, I think.” He gave Luhan a small smile. “You can go read in the library, if you’d like. I know it’s a bit noisy in here for you.” 

Luhan looked over at Jongdae, Baekhyun and Taemin, who were all still talking like they hadn’t seen each other in decades. Then again, they probably hadn’t. “Are you sure? I can stay and keep you company?” 

Jongin’s eyes went all soft, like melting chocolate. “I’m sure. Go read.” 

“Okay.” Before he could think twice about it, Luhan leaned in close and pressed a kiss to Jongin’s cheek. “Thanks for making me food.” 

Jongin blinked rapidly, looking adorably flustered. “Y-you’re welcome.” 

Luhan ducked to hide his smile and scampered out of the room. 

Taemin found him alone, when it was closer to dawn. 

Luhan was in his room, cleaning Kyungsoo’s stiletto carefully and doing some much needed maintenance on his knives. 

“You’ve got the beginnings of a small armory in here.” 

“Yeah, something like that.” Luhan gave him a small smile, shifting over some on the bed to make room for Taemin to sit as well. 

“Did Delacroix give you these?” 

“Mmhm, most of them.” He pointed to his throwing knife set. “I got those from my brother, Tao, when I was announced as the chosen one.” He made a face. “At the time I was thrilled, but now I’m mostly sad about them. I want to use them more, but they feel tainted.” 

“Tainted how?” 

He struggled with his thoughts, moving his cleaning cloth over the blade in a repetitive motion. “It just.” He paused. “It feels like the only thing I can ever use them for is killing vampires. Since, that’s what I was raised to do, that’s all I can use them for, especially once I was named the chosen one.” 

“But that knife doesn’t feel tainted?” Taemin gestured to the knife in his hands. 

“This is the blade I used to kill Kyungsoo.” The cloth kept moving, his hands steady and sure even though his voice shook. “I was a master with Deerhorn knives, but when I ran away, I left them behind, a sort of ’fuck you’ to the leaders. But Kyungsoo found me as I was trying to sneak out, and when he realized...” Luhan gave a humorless chuckle. “He believed in our purpose. They all did. And he tried to stop me. 

“So I deflected his strike, took the knife from his hands, and did what he never expected me to do.” 

“You stabbed him.” 

“I did. And then when I saw Chanyeol running for me, for Kyungsoo, I pulled the blade out so he’d bleed, and Chanyeol would stay with him instead of coming after me.” 

“And you still have it.” 

“First thing I killed, and it wasn’t even a vampire.” He snorted. “I’ve committed sacrilege.” 

It was easier, now that he’d come to accept that vampires weren’t everything he’d thought they were, to accept the arm Taemin threw around his shoulders, hugging him. “Pretty sure that despite how much you clearly care about your brothers, what they taught you at Delacroix wasn’t important.” Taemin gave him a moment to digest that. “From my view, the world isn’t nearly as black and white as they would have liked you to believe.” 

“How so?” 

“For instance, are there bad vampires? Absolutely. But there are humans just as bad, or worse. If you’re going to hold a certain group to a specific standard of morality and not another, then that makes you no better than the group you’re trying to police.” 

Well, when Taemin put it that way. Luhan felt his worldview shift on its axis. “So, because Delacroix forces a strict code of morality on vampires, but doesn’t enforce the same for humans, it makes them hypocritical?” 

“Exactly.” Tamein beamed at him. “I really don’t think you need to feel guilty about leaving, Luhan. Not at all.” 

“I’m starting to see why Jongin likes having you around.” 

“Took you long enough. I knew why he was keeping you around as soon as I met you.” 

Luhan sat up a bit straighter. “Oh?” 

Taemin’s fingers brushed his chin as he eyed his face. “Jongin likes pretty and dangerous things. And he’s got a good, soft heart.” Taemin dropped his hand. “I’m certain that when he found you, he couldn’t stop himself from helping you.” 

“Oh.” 

“Just, try not to break his heart.” Taemin gave him a tight, wan smile. “He’s had enough of that.” 

Luhan nodded solemnly. “I’ll do my best.” 

Taemin changed the dynamic of the house in ways Luhan hadn’t expected he would. He hadn’t even known Taemin was coming, or that he was going to end up staying, but it looked to be that way. With Taeyong spending increasing amounts of time in the city with Ten, and Baekhyun and Jongdae moving on to go home to Minseok, it left the house significantly quieter than it had been in previous weeks. 

Luhan was getting bored of the quiet, when before he’d craved it so much. He’d made significant progress through Jongin’s library, but there was only so many books he could read before he needed to do something else. 

He almost missed Baekhyun and Jongdae. When they were around, he always had someone he could provoke into fighting with him, giving his muscles and reflexes workouts that made the thoughts constantly swirling around his head recede into the background. But Taemin and Jongin were both too old to be easily provoked into a quick spar, and they were much, much stronger than Luhan. 

He didn’t want to get shoved into the dirt that badly. 

But with so much time, he started to realize he had no idea how Jongin and Taemin spent their nights. Wandering through the house looking for them led him to a room in the basement, music filtering through the slightly ajar door. 

Luhan peeked his head in, and felt his eyes widen in shock. 

Jongin and Taemin were _dancing._ They moved in fluid tandem, perfectly matched in steps that they both appeared to know by heart, each move precise. The room was mostly empty, the hardwood floor scuffed here and there, although both vampires were barefoot as they danced. There were mirrors all along the front of the room, and Luhan half hoped their reflections wouldn’t show. He stepped into the room, staying against the wall by the door as he watched them move like complementary notes to the music. They would break out of their matching steps, each moving in ways more unique to themselves for a few measures, then come back together. 

Luhan caught Taemin’s eye in the mirror and received a smirk. 

The next time Taemin spun close to Jongin, he picked him up, lifting him into a spin before setting him down, making Jongin giggle lightly. Luhan hadn’t ever heard Jongin giggle before. It was a nice sound. Sweet. Cute. 

The current song faded out, another song blending in, this one with a more sensual, heavy beat that Luhan felt in his bones. 

Immediately, the vampires allowed their bodies to start moving in slower, looser patterns. Luhan saw them both settle into their hips, much like he did before a fight, their knees taking more of their weight as they stayed grounded in their movements. Luhan watched as movement between them became more like the push and pull of an ocean, ebbing and flowing with each other as they danced, two parts of a whole. 

He felt breathless at the sight of them. 

Time slipped away as he watched them dance, admiring the way their bodies looked entwined, too entranced to feel anything other than awe. Eventually Jongin peeled away, swaying over to Luhan and pulling him close, slowly easing Luhan into a relaxed dance even though he sputtered and protested. 

“Relax, wildcat.” Jongin’s voice was soft in his ear. “Have some fun.” 

But this kind of dancing didn’t feel _fun,_ per se. It felt...close. Intimate. 

Heady. 

Jongin spun him, and Taemin was suddenly there, pulling Luhan into his arms in a move so effortless Luhan didn’t notice until a different face was looking back at him. Well, up at him. Taemin was smaller than both he and Jongin, if only just. 

It was only for a moment, but Taemin’s look was so _knowing,_ so confident in whatever he saw in Luhan, it made him nervous. There was something about him that made Luhan feel like it was safe to tell him his true thoughts and feelings. It was easier to talk to Taemin than anyone else he’d ever talked to, easier to be genuine. Where Jongin had to coax his thoughts out, Taemin seemed to make them fall from Luhan’s lips with no effort. 

Taemin whirled away, leaving Luhan to sway with Jongin, their lips brushing and his hands tangling in Jongin’s hair, making a hot surge of _something _spike through Luhan as Jongin gasped under the onslaught of Taemin, his hands gripping Taemin’s slender hips, their bodies never losing the rhythm of the song despite their focus elsewhere. 

Taemin broke the kiss, leaning even closer to whisper something in Jongin’s ear before spinning him over to Luhan and leaving the room too quickly for Luhan’s human eyes to track. 

“How was your day?” Jongin asked, carefully pulling Luhan back into his arms, like he wasn’t sure what Luhan’s reaction would be to such closeness after Taemin’s display. 

He might be more upset if it hadn’t been so _hot._ It was upsetting that Taemin probably realized that, and that was why he’d done it. 

“It was fine,” Luhan sighed, letting himself have the luxury of looping his arms around Jongin’s neck. “I’ve worked my way through a lot of your books.” 

“Do you enjoy reading?” 

Luhan shrugged. “I like it now that I can read whatever I want, and not just whatever Delacroix wanted me to read. But I’ve always preferred _doing_ things, to sitting around all day.” 

Jongin hummed. “That’s something I can understand.” 

“Doesn’t eternity get a bit...boring?” 

“What do you mean?” Jongin tilted his head. 

When had they gotten so close? 

“I mean...don’t you get bored? How do you manage to stay sane when there’s no expiration date on your life?” 

Jongin seemed to ponder the question. “I move locations quite a bit. Every few decades I move to a new country, learn the language, the culture. Meet new vampires, host my friends for a few days to a few years. I’ve gotten many degrees over the years, lots of learning.” 

“That makes sense.” 

Were they drifting closer? 

Luhan closed his eyes, letting himself relax into the moment, pressing against Jongin completely. 

When Jongin kissed him, it wasn’t a surprise. It was tender, sweet, and very, very slow. Luhan felt like he was sinking slowly into hot water, Jongin’s kisses like warm syrup. Goosebumps erupted on his skin as Jongin’s palms skimmed his sides, circling his waist and holding him close. 

This time, Luhan didn’t pull away. 

He didn’t want to, and he didn’t see a reason to. He didn’t owe anything to anyone except himself, and what he wanted more than anything was to enjoy the moment. 

Jongin broke the kiss a few moments later, smiling at Luhan when he finally managed to flutter his eyes open. 

He didn’t know what to say. 

Jongin yawned. 

It must be close to dawn, then. “Time to sleep?” 

“Yes, you should as well.” Jongin managed to look sheepish and demanding all at once. 

Luhan tightened his arms around Jongin, hugging him close. “Take me to my room? You’re faster than walking.” 

Jongin obliged before Luhan had finished his sentence. His bedroom was filled with soft purple light, the room beginning to brighten as the sun rose. “Better get downstairs. Wouldn’t want to get a sunburn.” 

“Very funny, hummingbird.” Jongin rolled his eyes. “I’ll see you soon?” 

It was Luhan’s turn to roll his eyes. They lived in the same house, but he also knew that wasn’t what Jongin was really asking. 

_Are you ready, now?_

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Jongin pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Sleep well, Luhan.” 

When Luhan woke, the sun was sinking toward the horizon. Still feeling drowsy enough to fall back asleep, but missing the feeling of sun on his skin, he pulled the comforter off his bed and crawled to the patch of sunlight on his floor, curling up to doze with it warming his skin for another hour or so, until the sun had fully set. 

Sleeping in the sun made him feel safe, human. Despite all the threats he was facing. 

A knock at his bedroom door made him stir slightly in the warm cocoon of his blankets, although he was still too drowsy to move. Everything was warm, and he was unwilling to move when he could feel the chill of the night starting to creep into the air outside his blankets. 

“Luhan?” 

Ah, that was Jongin, then. Normally he would be up and in the kitchen by now—Jongin must have come looking for him. 

He heard the door click open, then, “Lu—what are you doing on the floor?” 

“I was sleeping in the sun,” he said through a yawn. When he blinked his eyes open, Jongin was lying on the floor across from him, a slightly concerned look on his face. Luhan blinked through the tears of his yawn. “Is something wrong?” 

Jongin shook his head, reaching out to stroke Luhan’s cheek gently. “No, nothing is wrong.” 

Maybe it was because he was still sleepy, or maybe it had to do with the tender expression on Jongin’s face, but Luhan found himself lifting the corner of his blanket in clear invitation before he could think better of it. 

Jongin’s face twitched with surprise briefly, before quickly sliding into Luhan’s cocoon, wrapping the blanket around them both tightly as he cuddled close. Luhan tucked his head under Jongin’s chin, shivering slightly as the cold made an entrance with Jongin. 

His legs tangled with Jongin’s, his hands tucked up against Jongin’s chest while Jongin looped an arm around his waist, the other sliding under his head to support his neck. Jongin wasn’t warm exactly, but he was safe. 

“Now, what’s bothering you, Jongin?” 

Jongin sighed, squirming slightly. “It’s nothing really, just worried that you’re not living enough of a human life.” 

“I wasn’t exactly living one before.” 

“That’s my point. You weren’t allowed to live a carefree life because of how you were raised, and now you’re living with a vampire.” 

“So?” 

“So... I worry that you’re not getting the freedom you were aiming for when you ran away.” 

Luhan squinted into Jongin’s neck. It _sounded_ an awful lot like Jongin was trying to be noble. Shoving aside his nerves, Luhan moved his head back so he could look up at Jongin. “Kiss me.” 

“What?” Jongin’s eyebrows shot up in his surprise. 

Luhan placed a careful hand on Jongin’s face. “You heard me.” 

Confusion replaced surprise, but Jongin leaned in all the same, brushing their lips together softly. He made to pull away after a moment, but Luhan kept him in place with his hand, pressing forward and asking for more from the kiss, deepening it in Jongin’s surprise. 

Jongin pressed closer, pulling Luhan flush against him as he kissed back with an overwhelming intensity, a sort of primal hunger Luhan hadn’t expected but relished all the same. _This _was what he wanted. The kind of experience he wanted from life, not a boring, mundane human life. He wanted excitement, passion, _Jongin._

“Luhan, wait,” Jongin halted, pulling back and keeping Luhan from chasing his lips again. “I—” 

“I’ve never once known vampires to be particularly noble,” he interrupted, “so stop trying to pull back from me in some misguided attempt to allow me to have a ‘normal human life’. I don’t want that; I wouldn’t even know where to start. But I think I might want you.” 

Jongin’s features shifted through several emotions, until, “I don’t want to take anything else from you, though, when you’ve already had so much taken from you.” 

Luhan took a deep breath, feeling something settle in his chest, warmth rushing through him. “And that’s exactly why I’m letting myself trust you.” 

The smile Jongin gave him was tentative, a little shy, and endlessly endearing. He wasn’t sure when exactly he’d come to see Jongin as the sweet, safe creature he did, but there he was. He knew, in the back of his mind where his rationale lingered, that Jongin was incredibly dangerous, but when all he’d been shown was endless kindness and understanding, even in the worst of his antagonizing, he couldn’t see Jongin as anything other than safe. 

Jongin pressed another slow, easy kiss against his lips, dragging slightly sharp teeth against his bottom lip, making Luhan shiver. 

“Come on,” he said, when Luhan was a puddle of goo in his arms. “You need to eat something, and I need to make sure Taeyong hasn’t accidentally killed Ten.” 

Luhan snorted, then whined when Jongin stood, letting a flood of cold air under his blankets. “No, it’s warm here.” 

Jongin stepped across the room to his dresser, pulling out a thick sweater and socks from the drawers, before returning to Luhan. “Here, put these on.” He dropped them on top of Luhan’s curled up form. 

“No.” 

A sticky sweet kiss coaxed his lips apart as Jongin hovered above him, tongue sliding wetly against his own in a deep, languid kiss. Luhan was too preoccupied with kissing Jongin to notice him slowly creeping the blanket off his body until he was crawling into Jongin’s lap, effectively woken up and now more focused on kissing Jongin fervently than staying warm. 

“Come on,” Jongin said, breaking their kiss by shoving the sweater over Luhan’s head. 

He huffed, his hair in his eyes and probably everywhere else as he struggled to get his arms through the sleeves. There was a twinge of pain from his still tender ribs that he ignored, more preoccupied with the way Jongin was smoothing his hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ears before kissing him on the forehead. 

“Better?” 

Luhan scrunched his nose. “Yeah, better.”

“What’s this?” Jongin was fingering the chain of his protection charm, pulling it free from his sweater.

“Oh, it’s a charm one of my brothers gave me as a gift. It wards against non-human entities that want to harm me.”

Jongin cupped the charm in his hand, looking at Luhan with a small smirk. “I suppose I should be flattered it’s not repelling me?”

Luhan rolled his eyes. “Not like it’s breaking news, you big goof.” He took the elastic from his wrist and swept his hair into a tiny bun on top of his head. “Feed me?” 

Jongin rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe that under all your antagonistic tendencies, you’re a needy creature.” 

“You’ve beat down my walls and exposed me,” Luhan pouted. “The _least_ you could do is feed me.” 

“Alright you little monster,” Jongin griped, standing and lifting Luhan in his arms at the same time, effortless in his grace. “Let’s go see if Tae is up, hmm?” 

Before Luhan could blink, they were in Jongin’s room. At least, he guessed that’s where they’d gone. It was dark, no windows, and filled with lots of furniture that was plush looking and soft, a large bed dominating the far wall. 

A lump stirred slightly beneath the sheets as they entered, Taemin’s fluffy silver hair peeking above the covers. Jongin walked over and set Luhan on the bed, before flopping down next to Taemin, poking at the lump with a finger. 

“Tae, get up.” 

An indecipherable grumble floated through the covers. Jongin sent Luhan an amused look over his shoulder. When a few more moments of gentle coaxing from Jongin proved unsuccessful, Luhan got an idea. 

He crawled up to the head of the bed, trying his best not to disturb Taemin as his weight shifted the mattress, and slithered under the covers before worming his way closer to Taemin. It was warm and dark under the covers, and Taemin hummed in what sounded like content as Luhan snuggled up to him. 

“Hey,” Luhan whispered, poking Taemin in the side. “Get up. I’m hungry.” 

Taemin’s eyes slit open, squinting at Luhan like a cat he’d disturbed from a particularly pleasant nap. “I see what you’re doing, little human.” 

“I’m taller than you.” 

“You have a death wish, getting in bed with a hungry vampire, _little human.”_

Luhan couldn’t help the shiver that raced down his spine. Even freshly woken, Taemin looked ethereal, no trace of puffiness or imperfection to his features, eyes burning like coals as he stared at Luhan. “Well, I’m also hungry, so the sooner you get up the sooner Jongin will make me food.” 

“I never said I would make you food,” Jongin protested. 

“You’ve certainly gotten much bolder, after kissing Jongin last night,” Taemin murmured, not even acknowledging Jongin’s existence behind him. “Tell me, hunter. Does it bother you to know you have feelings for a vampire?” 

How Taemin always managed to get right to the sticking point Luhan wasn’t sure. It was uncanny how he _knew_ things Luhan barely understood himself. “Sacrilege is something I’m getting used to committing,” Luhan replied, squirming slightly. 

“Is that so?” Taemin hummed. Then, so quickly Luhan’s world spun, he was on his back, Taemin hovering above him and nosing at his neck. “Would you let me feed from you, little hunter?” 

Luhan was dizzy from the sudden movement, his nerves spiking as the primordial fear of vampires raced through him, his body shrieking _predator, danger, run,_ at him. But as quickly as it spiked, it eased, his muscles relaxing under Taemin’s gentle hold, the knowledge that _these_ vampires, at least, weren’t going to hurt him rushing through him. 

“Tae, get off him,” Jongin sighed, sounding weary more than concerned. “He’s not for feeding from.” 

Taemin grinned. A predatory, dangerous thing that made Luhan’s blood rush in his ears. “He sure looks like he wants it, though.” 

Jongin growled, a sound so possessive it made Luhan gasp, and then Taemin was gone, pinned to the bed underneath Jongin. “Don’t push me, Tae. Not on this.” 

Taemin reached up and cupped Jongin’s face, thumbs brushing his cheeks tenderly. “Okay, baby. I’m sorry.” 

Luhan sat up, watching as Jongin remained tense for another heartbeat, then relaxed against Taemin, letting him pull him down for a kiss. Just when he thought he was starting to understand vampires, they went and did something like that. 

It was noteworthy to him, at least, that he didn’t feel as much jealousy now when he saw Taemin and Jongin being affectionate. Maybe it was the way it looked like something so comfortable, so lived in for Jongin, or the way Taemin was so easily affectionate with anyone he cared about. 

“Not that this isn’t fun,” Luhan began, clearing his throat, “but I’m actually really hungry, so...” 

“So needy,” Jongin groaned, but there was a smile spreading across his face as he pulled away from Taemin. “Come on Tae. Let’s feed the human.” 

Taemin stayed with them for longer than any of Jongin’s other friends had stayed. He taught Luhan how to dance, sparred with him when Luhan’s fingers itched for his knives in a way nothing but a fight could scratch. 

Luhan got repeatedly thrashed like he’d never been beaten before, but he’d gotten better as a result. He was faster than ever, stronger too. With every week that passed, he grew more into someone he liked, someone happier. 

The irony that he’d found this happiness with _vampires,_ when everything about his upbringing had taught him vampires would bring him nothing but damnation hadn’t escaped him. 

Maybe he was damned, though. Because in the weeks Taemin stayed, he couldn’t seem to get enough of Jongin, constantly craving his lips, the taste of his skin. Taemin’s hugs relaxed him in a way nothing else ever had. Despite knowing his time was limited, that his brothers were certainly looking for him, Luhan felt safer than ever with Jongin and Taemin. 

It was understandable, then, that he didn’t want Taemin to leave. 

“Where are you going?” 

Taemin gave him a fond smile, patting his cheek gently. “I’m going to visit my friend Jonghyun. He gets melancholy and dramatic if he’s left alone for more than a half-decade, and Kibum stayed with him last. It’s my turn now.” 

Luhan frowned at the floor. They were standing in the entry, Jongin appearing next to them with the last of Taemin’s things, handing them over. 

“Don’t be a stranger, Tae,” Jongin said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “I’d ask you to stay longer, but I know you won’t.” 

Luhan managed to catch the glance Taemin threw his way before saying, “I think I’d be getting in the way, at least for a bit.” He smiled, his eyes growing soft. “But you know that you’re home for me. I’ll always return to you.” 

Jongin pulled him in for a tight hug, Taemin stroking the back of Jongin’s head fondly. “Come back soon, then,” Jongin instructed, his voice muffled by Taemin’s shoulder. 

“Are you two usually this sappy when you say goodbye?” 

“You never know when a hunter is going to come along and ruin your immortal life,” Taemin replied, turning his head to give Luhan a significant look from Jongin’s embrace. 

It was as much of a warning as he was going to get from Taemin. 

“Stop threatening him and give him a proper goodbye, Tae,” Jongin said, pulling away from Taemin with a roll of his eyes. “You might not see him again, after all.” 

Luhan’s stomach swooped unpleasantly, not wanting to think about the future or what it might bring just yet. And then he didn’t have any thoughts to spare, because Taemin was trying to pull his soul from his body through his mouth, dragging him down for a kiss so searing, so full of promise, that all Luhan could process was the ringing in his ears and the curl of Taemin’s tongue against his teeth. 

“See you in a decade, little Hunter,” Taemin smiled, laughing at the dazed expression that was certainly on Luhan’s face. 

And then he was gone. 

The house immediately felt too quiet. Jongin sighed, quiet, but shattering the stillness left in Taemin’s wake. 

“Well, what now?” Luhan asked, once his brain had come back online. 

“Hungry?” Jongin’s eyes looked sad. 

Luhan thought back through the last few weeks, the way one was never without the other, the way they slept wrapped around each other like personal space was something for other people, but not them. He wasn’t sure if Jongin knew that he’d watched them sleep on the rare days he hadn’t been able to sleep the full day away, but seeing them so entwined had only made him want to join, a feeling he would never admit to. 

“Yeah, I could eat,” Luhan offered, and Jongin’s eyes softened, smiling at the ease of their routine falling back into place. 

“Let me make you something, then.” 

Luhan was too far gone to do anything other than follow Jongin to the kitchen. 

“I’m going to move out,” Taeyong announced, startling Luhan and making Jongin look up from the book he was reading. 

“Come again?” Jongin raised an eyebrow, looking at Taeyong who was standing in the doorway about as confidently as he could manage. 

To Luhan, he looked like a scared teenager, but he bit his tongue. He didn’t really care what Taeyong did, as long as he wasn’t getting in Luhan’s way. 

“I want to move into the city, to be closer to Ten. And you two are so boring without Taemin-hyung. He was cool.” 

Jongin closed his book. “Do you feel like you have enough control to live on your own? With a human in close proximity?” 

At this point Luhan had given up reading, finding that watching the conversation between Jongin and Taeyong was more interesting. 

“Yes, I’ll be _fine_. You worry too much.” 

Luhan snickered as Jongin looked affronted. 

“I do not. Minseok placed you in my care, I’m simply doing as he asked.” 

“Okay, fine. But I’m moving out.” 

Jongin sighed, sounding weary. “Okay, sure. Do you have a place? Somewhere safe?” 

“I’ve got it under control. I’m a big boy now.” 

Luhan rolled his eyes. “Well, can’t say I’ll miss you. But good luck with your immortal life, I guess. If I run into any hunters I won’t send them your way, I guess.” 

Taeyong hissed at him. “I never liked you either.” 

He shrugged. That tracked. 

“Be safe,” Jongin added, getting up to give Taeyong a brief hug. “Let me know if you need anything. I’ll be here.” 

“I won’t!” Taeyong yelled, already out of the room, voice fading down the hallway. 

“I resent that he called us boring,” Luhan mused. “I’m anything but.” 

“Sure, wildcat.” Jongin was looking between Luhan and the small stack of books he was steadily working through. “Whatever you say.” 

Luhan threw one of his books at Jongin, who caught it easily with one hand, the bastard. “We should go dancing again, or something.” 

There went Jongin’s eyebrow again. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? What with you being wanted, and all?” 

“We went out a few months ago. It was fine then!” 

“You nearly got killed by Jongdae and Baekhyun.” 

“That’s a _gross_ exaggeration. I was _fine_. I had it under control.” 

The expression on Jongin’s face said he didn’t believe him, but he let it go anyway. “I suppose I could use a night dancing.” 

“Tomorrow night?” 

“I should say no, just to prove to you that you don’t always get what you want.” 

“But you won’t.” Luhan had long since figured out there wasn’t much Jongin would deny him. 

Jongin’s smile was soft at the edges, indulgent. “No, I won’t.” 

  


  


Getting ready for a night in the city proved to be more of a challenge than Luhan anticipated. He wanted to impress Jongin, but when all of his clothes had been provided by the one he was trying to impress, it introduced a whole set of challenges. 

That, and Jongin hadn’t actually provided him with attire Luhan would wear to a club. His wardrobe consisted of comfortable jeans and sweats, and an abundance of sweaters and t-shirts. Which was why while Jongin was showering, Luhan snuck into his massive walk-in closet and borrowed a pair of black skinny jeans. He had dozens of pairs, he wouldn’t miss one. 

From his own closet, he dug out a very soft, long-sleeved shirt that scooped liberally in the front, the rich plum color providing a stark contrast against his skin that he liked. His hair had grown considerably since he’d arrived, and rather than cut it, he was keeping it long. Taemin had taught him how attractive he looked when he pulled half of it back into a small bun, letting the rest hang down over his shoulders, which had become his go-to hairstyle since, tonight no exception. 

He didn’t have much in the way of makeup, but Taemin had left him a stick of eyeliner with a knowing look, which he pondered as he applied the faintest lines around his eyes, trying not to feel ridiculous as he did so. The end result looked passable, so he called it good, wandering back downstairs into Jongin’s room to see if he was ready. 

“How do you have all that freaky vampire speed, and yet it takes you so long to get ready?” Luhan drawled from the doorway to Jongin’s bathroom. 

Jongin looked over from where he was frowning at his hair in the mirror as he tried to work it into a style out of his eyes. He blinked several times, making Luhan shiver a little as Jongin’s eyes raked up and down his form. “You look good.” 

Luhan smiled, crossing his arms. Kyungsoo’s stiletto was in its usual place, hidden beneath his shirt against his left forearm, its weight something familiar and comfortable. “Thanks. I stole some of your jeans.” 

“You wear them better than I do.” 

Luhan eyed the way Jongin’s own black jeans clung to his well-muscled legs and very much doubted that, but he let it slide. “Anyway, are you almost ready?” 

Jongin fiddled with the collar of his shirt--a silky, deep blue that made his skin glow and somehow managed to showcase the firm lines of his torso while also remaining loose. “Almost.” 

He stepped closer to Jongin, knocking his hand aside to carefully undo the top three buttons on his shirt, letting it gape open to show a truly tantalizing slice of skin. He couldn’t help but let his fingers brush Jongin’s skin as he pulled his hands away. “There, perfect.” 

When he looked up, Jongin was so, so close, his eyes intense and full of heat. 

Luhan stepped back, clearing his throat. He’d been dancing around Jongin since Taemin had left, finding it more difficult to act on his impulses when Taemin wasn’t practically daring him to. 

Jongin stepped forward, snagging Luhan with an arm around his waist, and pulling him close, before whisking them into a dark alley without warning. 

His head spun. “Just how far can you move with that trick?” 

Jongin shrugged, not letting go of him. “I haven’t tested it before, but pretty far. Enough to pop into the city with someone else without struggle.” 

“Huh.” Luhan stumbled slightly as Jongin shifted his grip, keeping an arm around his waist but moving so they could walk out of the alley. It was easier, when they were waiting in line and surrounded by other people, to lean into Jongin. 

They didn’t bother with drinks once they were in, Jongin leading him right into the thick of the dance floor, pulling Luhan flush against him. 

His time with Taemin paid off immediately, as it was much easier to follow Jongin’s movements, his hips more sinuous. Compared to the last time he’d been out dancing, it was much more fun. 

Then again, that could have something to do with the way Jongin’s hands were mapping his back and shoulders, occasionally coming up high enough to tangle in his hair and tug lightly before retreating back down. 

He made a valiant effort pretending he wasn’t affected, keeping his hands resting lightly on Jongin’s shoulders, eyes low and away from Jongin’s heady gaze. The part of him that knew he was lying, knew that all he wanted was to be able to taste Jongin’s skin for the rest of his life, rioted_._

Luhan was self-aware enough to know, at least, that he wouldn’t be able to pretend much longer. Especially when Jongin’s nose was grazing the skin of his neck. He gasped when Jongin placed a tender kiss just below his ear, incongruous with the way Jongin’s hips were rolling insistently against his own, their legs slotting together, his hands on Luhan’s hips dragging him closer, nearer. 

Jongin’s teeth made an appearance, and the way Luhan’s fingers slipped into Jongin’s hair to grip tightly at the soft strands was involuntary, betraying any last shreds of aloofness he’d been hanging onto. He turned his head and nipped at Jongin’s ear, heat dripping down his spine as Jongin’s fingers dug into his hips. 

Jongin’s lips were at his jaw now, licking and biting his way to Luhan’s lips. Luhan shivered, a groan catching in his throat as Jongin placed a teasing, gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Nobody can hear you over the music, but I can, hummingbird.” 

“Fuckin’ vampire,” he gasped, tugging at Jongin’s hair. 

Their lips were millimeters apart when Jongin froze, something startling him. 

“Jongin?” 

This time Luhan heard the voice too, feeling the haze that Jongin’s close presence and undivided attention always cast over him evaporate. He was close enough to see the horror that flickered over Jongin’s features, and his stomach dropped to his feet. Jongin looked terrified, he realized. He’d never seen Jongin look scared. 

Not once. 

Slowly, Jongin turned in the direction of the voice, Luhan’s eyes following his movements, trying to figure out who in the crowd was talking to him. His gaze settled on a smaller man, too ethereal to be human, a clear expression of shock on his face. 

“J-Junmyeon?” 

Anyone who could make Jongin stutter held more power over him than Luhan had thought possible. Cool, composed Jongin, crumbling right in front of him. 

Something protective surged through him. 

“Who are you?” he asked, stepping in front of Jongin, keeping his hands hidden behind his back, prepared to grab his knife. 

“Jongin I haven’t seen you in decades,” Junmyeon said, his shock settling into something more composed. 

Luhan didn’t risk a glance at Jongin’s face to see how he was faring. “I asked you a question, bloodsucker.” 

Junmyeon’s eyes finally slid to him. “I’m not speaking to you, human. Be silent.” 

Luhan bristled, opening his mouth to say something nasty enough that Junmyeon would probably try to kill him for it. “Is Sehun here too?” Jongin’s voice was so quiet, so timid, that had he not spoken directly next to Luhan’s ear he would have never heard it. 

“Jongin?” 

The pieces fell into place so quickly Luhan felt stupid. Another vampire had appeared at Junmyeon’s side, arm automatically draping around Junmyeon’s shoulders before looking at Luhan and Jongin, his face going so expressionless and flat he may as well have been a statue. 

“You Sehun?” Luhan asked the taller vampire. He was truly stunning, his features strong and masculine and possibly carved from marble. 

Sehun’s eyes slid to him. “Depends on who’s asking.” 

“Sehun, it’s been a while,” Jongin said from behind him, his voice sounding remarkably composed. 

The crowd was slowly pressing their unmoving group to the edges of the dance floor, Luhan shuffling every few steps to make sure his center of gravity remained between his knees, still standing in front of Jongin. 

“I’ve got a knife with your name on it,” Luhan said with a smile he hoped looked as deadly as he currently felt. 

Junmyeon’s eyes widened as he looked between Luhan and Jongin. “You have a hunter with you?” 

“How are you?” Jongin was still looking at Sehun, like nothing else around him mattered except for Sehun. “Good?” 

Sehun’s face broke into a tiny smile. “Yeah, I’m good.” 

Jongin wrapped his arm around Luhan’s waist, hugging him from behind. “I’m glad the two of you are happy.” 

He sounded sincere, too. Luhan marveled. He wouldn’t ever be able to manage that level of forgiveness if someone had done to him what Sehun had done to Jongin. To use his affections as a means to an end.... not even Luhan was that heartless, and he’d killed his best friend. 

“We should go,” Luhan said, just as Junmyeon said, “We should talk.” 

“Maybe some other time,” Jongin said, in reply to Junmyeon. “We have some things to do yet tonight.” 

They didn’t. And a part of Luhan lamented that they couldn’t stay out longer, but he didn’t want Jongin to have to stick around when he knew Sehun was in the same place. He let Jongin lace their fingers and tug him away from the dance floor, right for the exit. 

Neither of them said a word, too aware that Sehun and Junmyeon would be able to hear them if they did. Luhan clung to Jongin, trying to offer him as much comfort as he could. They would undoubtedly talk once they were home, but for now he was just as eager to leave as Jongin. 

Out of the corner of his eye, as they were leaving, something made him pause in his steps. He’d caught a glimpse of a face in the crowd, one that couldn’t possibly be there. Steeling himself, he looked again. 

The crowd swayed with the beat, a gap opening long enough for him to see Kyungsoo, staring directly at him. 

Jongin tugged him out of the club and into the crisp fall night. 

“Who the hell is Junmyeon?” 

Luhan did Jongin the courtesy of waiting a whole five minutes after arriving home before he asked, stalking after Jongin as he headed for his room. 

Jongin his himself in his pillows. “I don’t want to talk about it, Luhan.” 

Too bad. “Anyone who can scare you that badly is someone I need to know about,” Luhan reasoned, settling on the bed next to Jongin. “Come on, talk to me.” 

“Why? You don’t talk to me, why should I tell you?” 

He huffed. “I’m working on it, and you’re better at feelings than I am. Please?” he needled, laying down and draping himself half over Jongin’s back. 

“Junmyeon is my maker.” 

Luhan’s thoughts screeched to a halt. What? “He’s what?” 

Jongin rolled into his side with a heavy sigh, dumping Luhan back on the bed, his back to him. “He’s my maker.” 

Luhan scooched back over, pressing up against Jongin’s back and holding him close. He’d seen the way Taemin’s constant physical affection worked to relax Jongin, make him more pliable. And he was quickly reaching the point of no return, if his constant desire to be close to Jongin was any indication. “What does that mean, exactly?” 

“It means he’s the oldest vampire I know. He saved my life by making me immortal, taught me everything I know, and then swooped in and took Sehun from me without a warning. I hadn’t seen him in centuries, and he showed up and wooed Sehun, and I was alone again.” 

Luhan nosed at the back of Jongin’s neck, frowning. “He’s the one Sehun left you for? Isn’t that like...vampire incest or something? Junmyeon would be his grandfather.” 

Jongin snorted, laughing dryly. “It’s not like that, with vampires. We’re family only in name, really.” 

“He’s also Seulgi’s maker then? I assume she takes after him, since she’s also terrifying.” 

Fingers laced gently with his over Jongin’s stomach. “Mmm, yes. She lived with him for much longer than I, so I think she picked up more of his philosophies.” He rolled over, gathering Luhan into his arms and kissing him on the forehead. “Thank you, Luhan.” 

He fiddled with the buttons of Jongin’s shirt. “I didn’t do anything.” 

“You comforted me. I can’t thank you enough.” 

Luhan sniffed, then darted up and kissed Jongin lightly. “It was nothing. You’d do the same for me.” 

They got lost in the taste of each other for a few minutes after that, letting the feeling of their tongues gliding together ease the night’s events away. 

“Why did you freeze, as we were leaving?” Jongin asked, once they’d pulled away for some air. 

Kyungsoo’s face flashed before his eyes again, making fear and dread mingle heavily in his stomach. 

“Hummingbird?” Jongin pulled away to look at him, clearly concerned. 

“I thought I saw someone I knew.” 

“Someone…from Delacroix?” 

He nodded. “I could have sworn I saw Kyungsoo. But he’s dead.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“That I saw him? No. I think my guilt is manifesting in strange ways.” 

“Are you sure he’s dead?” Jongin clarified. “Because if he survived, you could have actually seen him.” 

That made him pause. Because if Jongin was right… 

He felt his whole world tilt on its axis. 

“Luhan?” 

“That would change everything, Jongin.” He looked into Jongin’s eyes, a thought dawning. “Jongin, will Sehun and Junmyeon be safe?” Thoughts were flying so quickly he could barely grasp them long enough to speak. “If Kyungsoo _was _there tonight, and so was Junmyeon, it’s possible Delacroix is hunting him, maybe even Sehun.” 

“They just happened to come to a club we were also at?” Jongin seemed skeptical. 

“Jongin you did your fancy teleporting trick. There’s no way Delacroix could have tracked you or known we would be there.” 

Jongin’s hand rubbed soothing circles into his back. “If Kyungsoo was there, it means they know you’re alive now, and possibly that you’re with a vampire.” 

He felt like throwing up. He refused to give into panic, but he was worried. “Jongin, are you going to be safe? Junmyeon?” 

“Relax, hummingbird,” Jongin soothed. “Delacroix aren’t a threat to Junmyeon, and like you said, there was no way they could have tracked us. We’ll be okay.” 

Luhan took a deep breath. “They’re going to find me. Now that they know, I’ve got an expiration date.” 

“Do you trust me?” 

He closed his eyes, thinking. Jongin’s full attention made it hard to do that otherwise. He’d lost track of how long exactly he’d been with Jongin, after feeling so safe for so long the days had blurred together. And that was the sticking point he kept coming back to. He felt _safe_ with Jongin. Despite everything. 

“Yes,” he answered, opening his eyes and looking at Jongin. “I trust you.” 

Jongin beamed. “I’ll keep you safe, Lu. We’ll figure it out.” 

He surged forward and kissed Jongin, pouring everything he couldn’t express in words into it, hoping Jongin understood. 

Judging by the way Jongin’s hands tenderly cradled his jaw as he kissed back, he did. 

Each day he spent with Jongin alone made it harder and harder to stop when they inevitably started kissing. Luhan, still wary with what fragile pieces of his heart he had left, didn’t want to give too much away at once. But Jongin made it difficult when he’d swoop into the library to spin Luhan around and pin him to the shelves, trying to coax his soul from between his lips with each deep, heady kiss. Or when Luhan was making food and Jongin wrapped around him from behind, leaving mark after mark on his neck, dragging and scraping his teeth there in ways that sent blood rushing south in minutes. 

It took all his attention, the threat of Delacroix fading to the back of his mind as Jongin consumed his every thought. He knew he wouldn’t be able to ignore it for long, but it was so much easier to give into the tempting illusion of a carefree, blissful existence with Jongin.

Jongin, who always backed down when Luhan’s deep-rooted fears of being punished for going against the beliefs he was raised in inevitably made him freeze up, momentarily terrified of the consequences of his choices. He was endlessly patient, letting Luhan work through it at his own pace, never pushing for more than he was comfortable giving.

Even if, in some secretive, dark place, all he wanted was for Jongin to make good on the promises his teeth made every time they kissed, scraping gently against the skin of his neck. Oh, how the traitorous, blasphemous part of him _craved_ to have Jongin’s fangs in his neck. His brothers would be horrified if they knew what he was doing, what thoughts he was entertaining. 

It only took a few days to reconcile in his own mind, and another to gather his courage, before he went looking for Jongin one night. 

Jongin was sitting in an armchair by the library fire, round wire-rimmed glasses on his nose as he skimmed a book. Luhan rolled his eyes. Jongin had perfect sight, which meant the glasses were there for _aesthetic, _and he couldn’t believe the fondness that still welled up at the sight of him. 

Jongin raised an eyebrow when Luhan lifted the book from his hands and threw it onto the ground. ”Is there something I can help you with, wildcat?” 

Luhan breathed deeply. He reminded himself of the reasons why he was doing this; why he _wanted_ to do this. Maybe to prove something to himself, maybe to quash the lingering feelings stirring in the wake of Taemin’s visit. But if he was going to commit to the sacrilege, may as well go all out. 

Jongin made a noise of surprise when Luhan climbed onto the chair, straddling him. ”Luhan, what are you doing?” 

“Sealing my fate,” Luhan whispered, before cupping Jongin’s jaw and kissing him, pushing past his surprise until Jongin was kissing him back. 

Jongin’s hands clutched at his waist, pulling him closer, one hand trailing up to cup the back of his head, angling their kiss to be deeper, more passionate. Luhan flicked his tongue against Jongin’s sharpening canines, making Jongin shudder beneath him and pull him closer. 

“Why, wildcat?” Jongin whispered, mouthing along Luhan’s jaw so he could speak. 

“Are you complaining?” Luhan panted, sliding his fingers into the silky strands of Jongin’s hair, tugging lightly until Jongin was staring at him again, golden eyes burning and darkening as he watched. 

Jongin swept him into another deep, searching kiss that had a possessive edge to it. “No, but I have to wonder _why.”_

“I want to know what it means to be with a vampire. If I’m going to fall, it may as well be thoroughly and spectacularly.” 

Jongin growled in the back of his throat. “Are you...?” 

Luhan tugged at his bottom lip, smiling as it coaxed a soft sigh from Jongin. “Bite me, Jongin.” He pulled the neck of his shirt aside, undoing the top buttons to allow it to slip fully off his shoulders, material pooling at his elbows. 

Jongin’s eyes roved his exposed neck hungrily. “Are you certain, Luhan?” Those ocher eyes were back, serious and heavy despite the rising bloodlust Luhan could see behind them. “I cannot undo this, once it’s done.” 

Luhan let his head fall to the side, neck long and lean right in front of Jongin’s mouth. “I’m sure, Jongin. I have been for a while, now.” 

He’d thought Jongin would dive right for his neck, sink his fangs in deep and quick, no hesitation. But instead what he got were Jongin’s lips leaving languid kisses from his ear to his collarbone, his tongue tracing patterns on his skin for his lips to follow. Sucking and teasing the skin, scraping his fangs lightly over Luhan’s neck in ways that made him shiver. 

When he finally bit, Luhan was so worked up he almost didn’t feel it. But the heady rush of pleasure gave it away, and Luhan moaned deep and low as Jongin’s fangs sank deeper into his neck, his fingers tightening in Jongin’s hair as warmth rushed through him in tingling waves. 

Jongin cradled him close, then slipped out of the armchair with Luhan in his arms and laid him back on the rug in front of the fire, all without removing his fangs from Luhan’s neck. It was overwhelming, to have Jongin pressed against him, fangs _in_ him as he drank, pleasure coursing through him. 

When he wrapped his legs around Jongin’s waist to pull him closer they both moaned, Jongin’s hands roaming down to grip his hips, keeping him pinned to the floor despite his whines as he grew restless. 

Luhan sank his fingers back into Jongin’s hair, turning his face to mouth helplessly at Jongin’s ear. This felt like nothing he’d expected, and better than anything else he’d ever experienced. He had been braced for pain, for a dull throb, and while that was there in the background, he was more overwhelmed by the intimacy, the way he felt closer to Jongin than he ever had before. 

Jongin’s weight settled on him more firmly, his hips starting to roll gently into Luhan’s, careful not to jostle him. Luhan felt floaty, almost like he was hovering outside his body, watching it happen. He tugged on Jongin’s hair, arching a little against him as Jongin’s hands roamed up his ribs, anchoring him back in the moment. 

It took him longer than it should have to realize Jongin’s fangs were gone from his neck, his tongue laving over the bite marks as he cleaned Luhan’s neck. 

“Luhan?” 

He became aware of Jongin trying to get his attention, his thumb stroking his cheek gently. He took a deep breath, then sighed, letting a blissful smile overtake his features as his eyes slipped shut. He wrapped his arms around Jongin’s neck, distantly wondering why they seemed so _heavy_, and felt himself going slowly boneless. 

Jongin shifted slightly, and Luhan gasped as slight friction against him made pleasure rush up his spine. He fluttered his eyelashes open as Jongin rolled his hips with more purpose, and Luhan bit back a choked off moan. 

“Baby,” Jongin whispered, kissing his cheek tenderly before claiming his mouth in a much deeper, dirtier kiss. 

Luhan shuddered beneath him. Jongin had many nicknames for him, but none of them made him melt as much as that one word had. _Baby. _His hands fell limply above his head, too warm and gooey from the bite to keep them up any longer, arching his back slightly to press back when Jongin rolled forward. 

Jongin pinned one of his hands down, lacing their fingers together, while the other supported his upper body, mouth and hips never losing their rhythm as he shifted. The heat from the fire seeped into his skin, warming him from the outside until he was searing, inside and out, an ember Jongin was quickly coaxing back to full, raging life. 

He whimpered as he came, Jongin’s thigh pressed firmly against him, unrelenting until Luhan was shuddering in overwhelmed sensitivity.

He came back to himself slowly, the sensation of being lifted gently and cradled against Jongin’s chest, then set back down carefully on soft sheets, Jongin’s fingers stroking through his hair. He latched onto Jongin’s wrist when he tried to pull away, dragging his eyes open to take in Jongin’s expression.

“Stay,” he breathed. Jongin’s features were bathed in soft white light from the lamp in the corner of his room, pushing aside the persistent shadows of night. His eyes, normally a rich golden brown, were brighter, like freshly melted gold, ruby bleeding into it from the outer edges of his irises. It was mesmerizing.

His eyes crinkled as he smiled, giving Luhan that soft expression he loved so much. “Of course. I’m getting you a change of clothes, sweet human.”

“Am I?” he asked, as Jongin rummaged through his closet.

“Hmmm?”

“Sweet.” Everything felt muted, like he was half underwater, or dreaming.

Jongin appeared back at his side, maneuvering Luhan’s still liquid limbs as he got rid of sticky underwear and replaced it with a clean pair, then a pair of soft and light linen pants. Luhan was too busy admiring the way the light made Jongin’s skin glow like bronze to feel any embarrassment over Jongin stripping him.

“You taste like the sweetest nectar,” Jongin answered, settling next to Luhan in bed and pulling him close. “Like nothing I’ve ever had before.”

Luhan tangled their legs, startling slightly when he realized Jongin was still half-hard. “Oh, I can—”

“Later, hummingbird,” Jongin interrupted, catching his hand before it could dip under his waistband. “We have all the time in the world.”

“Okay.” Luhan let himself be held, relishing the afterglow and the slow kisses Jongin kept plying him with. “Will you feed from me, and me alone, from now on?” he asked, sometime later when his body was thrumming with nothing but the taste and feel of Jongin against him.

Jongin shivered, his hands tightening reflexively around him, fingers digging into his hip. “Luhan, that’s a serious offer to make to a vampire, not something to say lightly.”

He cupped Jongin’s jaw, kissing his upper lip, then tugging at his bottom, pulling away just enough to whisper, “And what makes you think my feelings for you aren’t serious?” against his lips.

“You don’t tell me how you feel, I have to figure it out based on your actions.”

Ah, talking about his feelings. His worst enemy. “I’m working on it.” He closed the gap between them, pulling Jongin as close as he could and letting himself enjoy how good it felt to kiss Jongin.

“Spell it out for me?”

“I want to be with you,” Luhan murmured, summoning all his courage. It was easier for him to face down three vampires with a single knife than talk about his feelings. Doing was so much _simpler_ than talking. “It’s. I can take care of myself—”

“Obviously.”

“But you make me feel safe, and that’s something I’ve always had to fight for.” He frowned, playing with the collar of Jongin’s shirt. “It’s nice to not have to fight for once in my life. To know that I have someone by my side who will help me if I need it.”

“You know I will. For as long as you’ll have me.”

_Be brave, _Luhan reminded himself, saying, “Even if I want forever?”

He watched Jongin carefully for his reaction, managing to catch flickers of fear and trepidation in his eyes, the rest of his face remaining impressively blank.

“We could talk about that, yes. If you think that’s something you might want.”

“It’s probably too early to say, but I wanted to know the option was there.”

Jongin’s thumb stroked his cheek. “I want you to have as many options as possible.”

Luhan wrapped as much of himself around Jongin as possible, hugging him tightly and kissing the underside of his jaw. “Nobody has ever given me options. Thank you.”

Jongin hummed, pulling Luhan close in return and kissed him so sweetly and tenderly that Luhan didn’t even realize he was slipping into sleep until his dreams were filled with Jongin.

He could count on one hand the number of times he’d felt this happy.

It was like a dam had broken open inside him, and emotions were flooding through him in a powerful, heady rush, manifesting in ways Luhan hadn’t expected.

Primarily, that after Jongin bit him, Luhan found it difficult to contain his own affections. The need to feel Jongin’s skin against his own, the desire to be next to him always, it was overwhelming on many levels, and yet exactly what he’d been craving for a while.

Overwhelmed had never felt so good. It made sense, then, that everything came crashing down a few days later, following the trend of Luhan’s life.

He was making congee while Jongin was wrapped around him, knees still aching from earlier when he’d pressed Jongin against the shower wall, sinking onto water-warmed tiles to swallow him down, imprinting the moans he coaxed from Jongin’s throat to memory. Whatever overwhelming affection kept him from wandering too far from Jongin was clearly affecting him as well, and Luhan let his head rest against Jongin’s shoulder while his mouth worked a slow, sensual path down his throat.

He turned off the burner beneath his soup. Food could wait, he reasoned, spinning around in Jongin’s hold and twisting fingers in his hair, devouring his mouth instead. Jongin grunted, then walked Luhan back and pinned him against the counters, boosting him up and groaning when Luhan wrapped his legs around his waist.

Like that, their heights were even, and Luhan was greedy in taking what he wanted, pressing his hips against Jongin’s impatiently.

“Lu,” Jongin groaned, one hand pulling him closer by his lower back, the other gripping his thigh hard enough it would probably leave marks.

“Why do we even leave your bed?” Luhan gasped, catching his breath while Jongin went back to work on his neck, nibbling in a way Luhan had learned meant a bite was incoming.

“Hungry,” Jongin whispered against his skin, and he wasn’t sure if it was an answer to his question or what Jongin was feeling, but either way it had Luhan nodding and pressing Jongin’s face to his neck.

“Yes,” he hummed, feeling Jongin’s teeth scrape against his skin. Jongin hadn’t fed since last week in the library, and Luhan wasn’t strong enough to deny how desperately he wanted to feel Jongin’s fangs in his neck.

Jongin settled at a spot, Luhan holding his breath as Jongin’s fangs prickled against his skin, when the doorbell rang.

They both froze, Luhan in confusion because _who _could possibly be here, and Jongin straightened slowly, his head cocked as he listened.

Luhan had an up-close view of the way the gold drained from Jongin’s eyes, watching them turn so dark brown they were nearly black, and wondered what that meant. “Jongin?”

He blinked, then picked up Luhan and carried him into the foyer, setting him down before walking soundlessly to the door. Luhan followed for lack of anything else to do, peering over Jongin’s shoulder as he opened the door.

“Hello, Jongin. It’s been half a century since I last checked in on you, and since we were in the area…” Junmyeon trailed off.

Luhan looked between Junmyeon and Sehun on the doorstep, wondering if they would need to be invited in or if that didn’t apply since a vampire owned this house. He hugged Jongin from behind, hoping to comfort and ease the tension he could feel in his back.

“Come in,” Jongin finally said, sounding hollow and sad to Luhan’s ears. 

As Junmyeon and Sehun glided into the house, Luhan tried to suppress the intense dislike welling up within him, if only so he didn’t go for his knives and die trying to take out Jongin’s maker and ex-lover.

Somehow, it didn’t seem like the right thing to do.

“Come to the kitchen; we were making Luhan food.” Jongin laced his fingers with Luhan and made for the kitchen, not looking back to see if Junmyeon and Sehun followed.

Luhan’s hand felt a little crushed.

Once they were in the room, Luhan went to the stove, dipping a spoon into the soup to test flavor and consistency, mentally riffling through Jongin’s store of ingredients to make additions, never once losing awareness of where their visitors were in the room.

“The burner isn’t even on,” Sehun remarked, from a few feet away, looking between Luhan and Jongin.

Luhan dipped his fingers in to fish out a leek, eating it quickly—slightly underdone—and said, “We got distracted.”

If he made more of a display than necessary licking the broth from his fingers, well, it was worth it to watch the way both Junmyeon and Sehun narrowed their eyes at him.

“What brings you to my territory?” Jongin leaned against the counter next to Luhan, staying close while he cooked. It felt protective, to him.

“We ran into your sister not too long ago,” Junmyeon replied, and when Luhan glanced away from his now-bubbling soup, he had an arm around Sehun’s waist, casually possessive in a way only vampires could manage. “She was concerned about you, in her own way.”

Luhan wondered if that had anything to do with her trying to kill him.

Jongin sighed softly through his nose. “Well, I’m doing just fine. A bit confused as to why you wanted to drop in and see me, considering I asked you to give me space for at least a century.”

Luhan was absently stirring his soup, preoccupied watching Sehun’s face and noting the way his eyes flickered with guilt at Jongin’s words. Clearly the visit had been Junmyeon’s idea, then.

“You’re keeping the company of a hunter. We have right to be concerned.”

And that was Luhan’s queue to ladle up his dinner, because Jongin wasn’t going to be in the room much longer, and Luhan would rather let Tao carve him up than be alone with Junmyeon and Sehun.

“Pretty sure you lost all right to have an opinion about my existence when you seduced my lover right out from under me,” Jongin snapped.

He couldn’t get his food in a bowl fast enough.

“That was uncalled for, Jongin,” Sehun said softly.

Luhan could feel the anger radiating from Jongin and turned off the burner before taking his food and beginning to leave the room.

“Sunrise is soon. Stay the day, but I don’t want you two here after that.” Jongin stormed out behind Luhan, sweeping him into his arms and vanishing them to his room without spilling a single drop of Luhan’s food.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Luhan asked, when he was halfway through his dinner and Jongin had done nothing but pace back and forth, a single lamp filling the room with soft light.

“I wasn’t ready.” Jongin came to a stop at the foot of his bed, standing over Luhan. “When I faced them again, I wanted it to be on my own terms, not ambushed like this.”

He quickly drank down the last of his broth before stretching back to set the empty bowl on the nightstand. “Want me to stab them in their sleep?”

That got a choked laugh out of Jongin. “No. But thank you for offering.”

Luhan gave him a thin-lipped smile, then opened his arms. Jongin reached for him, wrapping around him and scooting them both up the bed, nuzzling against his neck as they snuggled.

“There’s so much I want to say, and yet I can’t seem to find the words,” Jongin whispered, words soft as his breath against Luhan’s neck.

He ran careful fingers through Jongin’s hair, tilting his neck to encourage the way Jongin was mouthing at his skin now, sparks zinging under his skin as he recalled where they’d been earlier before being interrupted. “The words will come, if not tomorrow, then later. You have time, so take yours. No need to rush yourself.”

Jongin pushed himself up just enough to smile at Luhan. “When did you get so wise?”

He leveraged his position on the bed to flip Jongin on his back, under no illusions that he’d taken Jongin by surprise, grinning down at him. “I’m plenty wise, I just hide it well.”

Jongin cupped his face with both hands, then drew him in for a kiss. “You’re getting better at listening, baby.”

Luhan shivered, unable to resist when Jongin was playing with his bottom lip like that. “I’ve been practicing.” He sucked on the tip of Jongin’s tongue until he got a soft groan, then said, “But right now I’d rather pick up where we were before being interrupted.”

Gentle fingers brushed over the nearly healed marks on his neck, and Jongin made a dissatisfied noise. “Not your neck again. It’s still not fully healed.”

Squirming as the sensation traveled down his body at Jongin’s touch, Luhan pulled himself together enough to say, “Somewhere else, then, but please.”

Jongin moved so quickly—removing his own clothes first, then Luhan’s—that he yelped in surprise. “Shy, wildcat?” Jongin asked with an infuriating smirk.

Luhan glared. “You know I’m not. You move too fast for me to process, sometimes.” The warm weight of Jongin’s body settled against his own, distracting him as skin met skin. “This isn’t my first time in your bed, you know.”

Jongin’s grin was nothing short of lascivious. “Oh, I’m aware,” he murmured, right against Luhan’s lips, before kissing him deeply and gathering him in his arms, his hold around Luhan secure, making him feel safe.

He found it difficult to speak, after that, as Jongin began exploring his body with his lips, working his way down to Luhan’s stomach, nipping and sucking anywhere he got a noise out of Luhan. By the time he was nibbling at the soft skin of his inner thigh, Luhan was a quivering mess of arousal, a bow strung tight.

He jolted in surprise when Jongin’s fangs sunk into his thigh, his hands immediately reaching down to fist in Jongin’s hair. It hurt more than being bitten at the neck, much more sensitive, but the resulting rush of pleasure that radiated from where Jongin’s mouth was firmly attached to his leg was exquisite.

He fluttered his eyes open, moaning as he met Jongin’s heady gaze, a peculiar warmth curling around his heart and squeezing as the intimacy of the moment stretched between them. His arousal—while still very present—was now undercut with an alarming amount of trust and affection, want and desire blending with safety and tenderness.

There was an intimacy that came with feeding he hadn’t expected. It wasn’t something he could accurately put into words, the feeling it gave him, but it was consuming him as he watched Jongin pull away from his leg, licking the wound clean gently, his eyes never leaving Luhan’s. He drew Jongin back up to his mouth, kissing the taste of his blood from his mouth as he wound his limbs around Jongin, desiring closeness more than anything else.

“Feeling okay?” Jongin shifted against him, reminding Luhan that there were other things he’d like to get up to in a moment, once the effects of the bite had worn off more completely. It left him feeling warm and sleepy, limbs turned to caramel by Jongin’s teeth.

“Mmmm that felt better than I remembered.” He pulled Jongin in for several slow, sticky kisses that made it difficult to stop, but mounting need makes him break off the kiss to say, “Make me yours.”

Jongin smiled, hovering above him, then bent down and started working his way down Luhan’s neck, and Luhan relaxed into the sheets and lost himself to the sensations Jongin coaxed from him, the rest of the world falling away.

Sehun found him alone.

Luhan was spending some much-needed time on weapon maintenance. Jongin had been too distracting of late, and he’d let it slip in favor of spending more time tangled in Jongin’s sheets. But his knives needed sharpening and their sheathes oiled, so when Jongin headed for his dance studio around midnight, Luhan made for his room.

His back was to the door when Sehun cleared his throat, catching Luhan by surprise and—on instinct only and definitely not out of any lingering defensiveness for Jongin—he whirled and threw the blade in his hand. It embedded in the wall millimeters shy of Sehun’s ear.

“Well,” Sehun remarked dryly. “That’s one of the less enthusiastic reactions to my presence I’ve gotten.”

Luhan sniffed. “Why are you in my room?”

He was one of the most poised vampires Luhan had interacted with so far. He stood so straight Luhan expected him to be tense, but every line of his body was relaxed and at ease, nearly floating into the room. He looked and acted like a prince, like he’d been cultivated for the kind of society that would scoff at the mere suggestion of someone like Luhan.

It was the most intimidated he’d ever felt by a vampire, apart from Seulgi, maybe.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

Luhan picked up another knife and began sharpening it. “About what?”

“Jongin.”

“Are you sure you have a right to talk to me about him? From what I’ve heard, you lost the privilege.” He was rewarded with a wince from Sehun.

“You’re right, I probably have. But that doesn’t mean I can’t worry about him, and you’re a hunter.”

Luhan measured the weight of his knife, calculating exactly how hard he’d have to throw it to get Sehun in the eye. “And?”

“And I don’t want you to hurt him like I did.” He yanked the knife Luhan had thrown at him out of the wall, hissing as the silver in the hilt burned him. “I can’t make excuses for the way I was so quickly swept away by Junmyeon, but I do have Jongin’s best interests at heart.”

If Sehun was looking at him directly, he wouldn’t have to throw it very hard, it would be more about his aim than the force. Hitting Sehun’s eye at the current distance was something he could have done when he was eight, never mind now. He flipped the knife in his hand, the idea growing more appealing the longer he considered it.

“Please don’t throw that knife at me.”

“Oh, but it would be so _fun.”_

Sehun put his hands up in surrender, backing out through the doorway. “I’ve said all I wanted to say. Just...treat him better than I did.”

He’d already resolved as much within himself, so it was easy to say, “I will,” and watch Sehun walk away.

“So, did Junmyeon corner you alone today too?”

Jongin looked over at him sharply, paused as he pulled off his shirt to sleep. “Did he talk to you too?”

Luhan picked at the comforter on Jongin’s bed, crossing his legs as he waited for Jongin to join him, ready for sleep. “No, but Sehun did.”

“And what did Sehun have to say?” he asked, picking up Luhan like he weighed nothing and moving him so he could pull back the sheets, climbing into bed wearing nothing, as was his preference.

Disgruntled at being moved like a sack of flour, Luhan huffed. “Some nonsense about me treating you better than he did. At least he’s self-aware enough to realize he was a dick to you.” He slid between the sheets, ready for the way Jongin instantly pulled him to his side, wrapped around him like a koala. “What did Junmyeon want?”

“He wanted to talk about the Sehun thing, but also what I’ve been doing since we last saw each other. You.”

“Me?”

“He doesn’t like that you’re a hunter.”

“Well neither do I, so that makes two of us.”

Jongin nuzzled into his neck, pressing a gentle kiss right behind his ear. “I told him he had nothing to worry about, that you’d never hurt me. You didn’t, not even when you were half feral and willing to fight anything.”

Discomfort wormed through him, whispers of _chosen one_ echoing distantly in his mind. Rather than address those emotions, he suppressed them under his usual facetious wit. “Excuse you, I’ve never been anything less than fully feral.”

“Mmmm of course you have, wildcat.”

He lightly smacked the part of Jongin he could reach, then settled in more firmly, letting the security of Jongin’s arms lull him to sleep.

Junmyeon and Sehun did not stay long. Luhan made sure of it. Even so, as Jongin saw them off Luhan could see a weight lifted from him, a nearly imperceptible tightness gone from his eyes.

Not that Luhan would ever admit out loud that there may have been some good to come from their visit. He still wanted to stab one of them. Just once.

“Coming to bed?” Jongin yawned as the night gave way slowly to dawn. “It’s late.”

Luhan leaned up and kissed him. “Not yet. I want to work out some of my restless energy otherwise I’ll kick you all night. Besides, it’s been a while since I’ve been able to practice out in the fresh air, with the sun on my face.”

“Don’t stay up too late and stay on the back lawn, please. Be safe.” He pressed a kiss to Luhan’s forehead. “Join me soon.” With a lingering brush of fingers against his cheek, Jongin was gone.

He quickly dashed upstairs to his room, grabbing his knives and changing into sweats and a t-shirt before running downstairs and out onto the back lawn, his bare feet sinking into the grass just as the sun brightened the sky to a warm pink.

With a deep breath, he fell into the routine of his stretches, feeling the crisp morning air begin to give way under the steadily rising sun, his muscles warming and humming with blood. As he started in on his exercises, letting his muscles and memory take over, his thoughts wandered ponderously toward Jongin.

It was easy, now, to admit how much affection he had for him. Jongin was everything he’d been taught to hate, and yet over the last few weeks—longer, if he could admit it to himself—his feelings had shifted until he couldn’t imagine not having the safety of Jongin’s arms around him as he slept. There was strength in love, not weakness, and with Jongin he felt the strongest he’d ever been. 

He pulled out his knives, working through patterns he memorized as a child, sweat beading at his temples now that he was really moving, morning light making his blades flash gold as he cut the air in front of him. Unbidden, the memory of Jongin sparring with him, pinning him in the grass and smirking down at him, laughing at every attempt Luhan made at getting free only served to make their bodies rub together, blood rising to the surface as his attempts to escape the hold turned into intentional grinding of their hips, Jongin dipping down, closer.

His foot slipped in the damp grass as memories of flipping Jongin over and riding him under the light of a quarter moon flooded through him, making him shiver as the sound of his breathing echoed in his own ears. He shook his head, pulling his focus back in, and concentrated on his movements once more, adding more flourishes and embellishments to his movements to keep his mind away from Jongin. 

He whirled, wholly unprepared for the collision of metal on metal, shock vibrating down his arm at the impact.

“Hello, Luhan,” Kris growled, glaring ferociously at him.

So great was his surprise, that he couldn’t move, his gaze fixed on Kris while his other senses went haywire, registering movements around him until his brain helpfully informed him that he was surrounded.

He felt the cool of steel against his throat, pricking in warning. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cut your throat right now, traitor,” Chanyeol hissed, fury radiating off him against Luhan’s back.

Luhan relaxed his stance as much as Chanyeol would allow, lowering his knives but keeping his grip on them firm. A familiar hand traced down his forearm, gripping the hilt of Kyungsoo’s knife and pulling it free from his grasp.

“Nice to have this back. I’ve missed it.”

A burning at his neck notified him that he shouldn’t have moved his head so quickly with a knife pressed to his throat, but he couldn’t help it at that voice. “Kyungsoo?”

Kyungsoo’s soulful brown eyes blinked up at him, his hair slightly longer than he’d seen it last, face a little thinner, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. “It’s been a while, Luhan.”

“Can I kill him now?” Tao whined, his fingers flexing around the grips of his weapons, walking into Luhan’s field of vision.

“How did you find me?” It was the first thing he could think of to ask, his most pressing concern—predictably—not for his own life, but Jongin’s.

“By chance,” Yixing chimed in, appearing from behind Kris’s body, silent as a shadow.

“We were tracking the ancient one, when Kyungsoo thought he saw you at the same club they were at a few nights ago. We followed them here and found you instead.” Kris relaxed his stance, but kept his knives aimed at Luhan.

His stomach plummeted, fear burning through him. _Junmyeon. _They’d been hunting _Junmyeon_, and he’d suspected as much, but it was a cruel truth to be confronted with_._ He should have been much more cautious, stayed hidden, and yet here he was out in the daylight. “But, how are you alive, Kyungsoo?”

“Chanyeol was very determined I not die.”

A breeze chilled the sweat on his skin, making him shiver. He felt cold with panic, despite the sun now shining brightly. He’d kept them talking this long, but even if Jongin was awake and listening for him, there was nothing he could do with so much sunlight. He would have to find his own way out of the mess he’d gotten himself in.

“Kris, what do you want to do with him?” Chanyeol was twitchy, his knife scraping against Luhan’s skin impatiently.

Kris looked to Kyungsoo, who shrugged. “He wanted out so bad he nearly killed me. Maybe we should let him go.”

“The council would kill _all_ of us if we did that,” Tao pointed out.

“I vote we kill him. Then the vampire that’s surely holed up in that house,” Chanyeol enthused.

The knowledge that if he expressed any horror at the idea of them killing Jongin, it would only solidify the decision in their minds, stopped him from crying out in protest. He ground his jaw, his entire being a debilitating swirl of dread and fear.

“We should take him back,” Yixing said quietly, his voice low and even. “Let the council decide what to do with their runaway _Chosen One.”_

“And the vampire?” Tao had a manic edge to his eyes that stopped the air in Luhan’s lungs.

Kris studied him, then took in the expressions of everyone else. “Leave him. He’s not our target. Not anymore. And we’d be stupid to attack a vampire in its den.”

His relief was short lived, a burst of pain erupting at his temple, then darkness.

Luhan woke up in his worst nightmare.

After working so hard to be free of the compound, of unlearning every incorrect thing he’d been taught to be gospel truth, waking up in his old bed felt like the cruelest twist of fate.

His head throbbed painfully as he tried to sit up, his stomach revolting with a wave a nausea, holding still until the worst of it had passed. He blinked against the light of the room, taking stock of himself. Beside his head, he didn’t seem to be injured other than a small cut on his throat. They’d taken his knives, unsurprising, but otherwise he had everything they’d taken him with.

When he could stomach moving, he got up and tried his door. Locked, predictably, but worth the effort of checking anyway. With nothing else to do, he settled in to wait.

The scrape of the wooden door against the stone floor of his room woke him, the rest having done wonders for his head. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but with nothing to do except stare at the walls of his room that he’d grown up surrounded by, there wasn’t much else he could do.

Kyungsoo appeared, a plate of food in hand, shutting the door behind him.

“Are you sure you want to be alone in a room with me?”

“I’m the only one who doesn’t want to run you through with a blade right now.” Kyungsoo handed him the plate before leaning against the wall opposite his bed, stance relaxed as he watched Luhan. “I’m your best option.”

He started eating, focusing on his food to avoid looking Kyungsoo in the eyes, guilt weighing heavy on his tongue. “You don’t want to kill me?”

“Luhan.” Kyungsoo paused until Luhan met his gaze. “I did, at first. But recovering from an injury like that gives you a lot of time to think, and hindsight is clearer. I’m probably the only person here who truly understands _why _you did it.”

“What reasoning did you settle on?”

“When I looked at it objectively, analyzing your behavior in the months leading up to you running away…it was painfully obvious how miserable you were. I could suddenly see how much of a toll this life took on you, how much pressure you were under from the council, and I started to understand.”

Luhan looked back down to what remained of his food. “I’m so sorry, Soo. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes, when he met them again, were soft with forgiveness. “I know, Lu.”

He didn’t deserve the kindness Kyungsoo was showing him. Instead of saying anything, he finished the last of his food, silence weighing thick and heavy across his shoulders. Finally, he found his voice. “What are they going to do with me?”

“I don’t know. There’s going to be a trial. You messed up their plans for you in a monumental way, and they’ve had to adjust accordingly.”

“Adjust what, exactly?”

“They haven’t told any of us.” Kyungsoo shrugged. “The council tells us very little now, since you rebelled and lost us all their trust.”

He nodded, accepting the information. He hadn’t expected to learn much, but one could hope. “And the vampires you were hunting?” Hopefully he wasn’t being too transparent in asking, concern for Jongin’s safety pulsing with urgency in time with his heartbeat.

“Suspended for now. Council pulled us all back in once we’d arrived with you to keep us safe from ‘retaliation’.” He watched Luhan’s face carefully, and whatever he saw there prompted him to ask, “You love it, don’t you. The vampire you were with?”

_It._ He’d forgotten what it was like to strip all humanity from vampires. Months in Jongin’s company had done much for unlearning all the senseless brainwashing he’d been subjected to his entire life. Vampires were no less human than they were, capable of every emotion humans felt. He knew that now, and wondered if it wasn’t too late to undo some of that same brainwashing for Kyungsoo.

“Him. I love _him._ And maybe, I don’t know yet. Given a little more time, I’m sure I will.” Luhan sat up straighter, meeting Kyungsoo’s unblinking gaze.

“Vampires aren’t capable of love, Luhan. You’re being used.” His eyes flicked to the bite scars on his neck, and Luhan was grateful he couldn’t see the fresh mark on his inner thigh. “All it wants is your blood.”

“That’s what I thought at first, too,” Luhan agreed, warming into his argument. “But they’re not like that, Soo. They’re full of emotion, and that vampire cares about me a great deal.” 

Kyungsoo frowned. “You’re far more deluded than I thought, then. The council warned me you would be, but I hoped your resolve stronger than that.”

Before he could think of a response, Kyungsoo was gone, the door locking behind him.

He threw the plate against the wall, the shatter of porcelain doing little to quell his mounting frustration.

When he dreamed, now, it was of Jongin.

Of safety, warm sheets, soft kisses. Scattered impressions that soothed his frantic mind, sleep a respite he greatly needed when being awake felt like a nightmare. He could feel awareness creeping in, intruding on the safe space of his dreams, and he tried to prolong its arrival to no avail. He could only sleep for so long.

In the days since Kyungsoo’s visit, his meals had been brought to him by Yixing or Kris, as they were the least likely to kill him, although there were some days when the looks of betrayal cut deeper than any knife ever could. The rest of the time, he was left alone, bored out of his mind and antsy, body craving movement or stimulation of any kind. His stretches and exercises could only do so much to alleviate the strain of solitude.

Blinking awake to see Jongin looking down at him in concern sent his heart skittering, body jackknifing upright with the force of his panic.

“Jongin? What are you _doing_ here?” The last of his words were swallowed in a kiss, Jongin sitting on his bed and reeling him in with hands on his neck and face, fingers digging into his skin.

“I tracked you once the sun set, then went home and waited until it was night and carefully appeared in different parts of this place until I got your room.”

Stupid, reckless, _insane_ vampire. “Jongin, you can’t be here,” Luhan managed, between more frantic kisses. “They’ll kill you.”

Jongin pulled away, thumb brushing against Luhan’s cheek. “Wildcat, I know. I heard them discussing it when they took you away. But I’m here to take you back. Taemin is waiting for us, he’s got a safehouse we can use until they forget about you.”

Luhan gripped his wrists, gently lowering his hands away from his face, putting some distance between them. “No, Jongin. We can’t.”

Fear flickered behind Jongin’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

“I mean they’ll never stop looking for me, Jongin. There’s a trial in a few days that will determine what’s to be done with me. If I disappear again they’ll go after Junmyeon and Sehun, then you, until they get to me. And _then_ they’ll kill me, but you’ll be dead too, and it will all have been for nothing. I have to stay, because at least there’s a chance that way.”

“Luhan. Please.”

He felt something shred in his chest, rending apart under the force of Jongin’s heartbroken gaze. “I won’t sacrifice your life for my happiness,” Luhan insisted, the words feeling like shards of glass as they passed over his tongue. He _wanted_ to take Jongin up on his offer to spirit him away like a thief in the night. They would have time together before inevitability caught up to them. And they would be happy. So, so happy. But he couldn’t put Jongin through the pain of losing someone he cared about to external forces. Not again.

If he stayed, if he went through with the trial, there was a chance he would live.

“Promise me,” Jongin pleaded, moving closer again and holding Luhan’s gaze. “Promise me that if they offer you an option where you get to live, you’ll take it.”

He searched Jongin’s dark eyes, and realized that they were the color of despair. All those times his eyes had filled with gold, all the moments when Jongin had looked at him and his eyes had filled with honey, he’d been _happy._ But now they were black, devoid of color, and watery.

“Luhan. Baby. Please.”

“Okay,” he promised, his voice coming out shaky and choked, throat tightening as tears welled, blurring his own vision. “Okay.”

Jongin pulled him into his arms, wetness seeping into his shirt where Jongin buried his face in his shoulder, holding each other close as they trembled. With a sniff, Jongin pulled away to press wet, soft kisses to his lips.

“Luhan, I need to tell you something,” he said with shaky breaths, wiping away the tears that had spilled down Luhan’s cheeks. “I lo—”

“Don’t.” Luhan pressed fingers to Jongin’s lips, stopping the words from spilling out. Fresh heartbreak flashed in Jongin’s eyes, and more tears streaked from his eyes, brow furrowing in confusion and pain. “Don’t say that to me. If you do, I’ll doom us both and leave with you. I won’t have the strength to say no if you give me the one thing I’ve always wanted from someone.”

Jongin’s expression softened, nodding and biting his lip, inhaling brokenly. “Okay. But I do.”

Luhan closed his eyes, letting the emotions rush through him, experiencing everything for once instead of suppressing and denying their existence. “You need to go, Jongin. We’re lucky nobody has found you here, even if it is the middle of the night.”

“I don’t want to leave you here.” Jongin pulled him close once more, peppering kisses everywhere he could. “Don’t make me go, please.”

“I’m not letting you die here. Taemin would kill me.”

Jongin choked out a wet sounding laugh. “He would.”

Luhan pulled him in for one last kiss, pouring all his feelings and emotions into the kiss, trying to say without words how much he cared about Jongin.

The lock on his door clicked, and Yixing stepped into the room. “Luhan, I heard noises coming from your room are you okay?”

He had a split second in which Jongin and Yixing froze, looking at each other, before Yixing lunged for Jongin with his knives drawn, aiming for his throat.

“Go!” Luhan shoved Jongin aside, stepping in the way of Yixing's knives. He braced for the burn of steel parting flesh, but it never came.

Yixing halted mid-strike, unwilling to hurt Luhan apparently. He felt Jongin ghost a kiss to his cheek before he vanished, Yixing's yell of frustration echoing in the room.

“Yixing?” Kris panted from the doorway to Luhan’s room, his eyes wide and automatically going to where Yixing was spinning and pacing away from Luhan. “What happened; I heard voices?”

“His vampire was here,” Yixing growled, pointing at Luhan with a knife.

Kris’s gaze narrowed in on Luhan. “How did it get in?” Instead of answering, he walked calmly back to his bed and sat down, careful to hide his shaking hands in his blankets. Kris turned to Yixing. “Well? You were on guard.”

“It never came past me! And when I came in, it vanished into thin air.”

Kris tilted his head, considering. “It must have a manifest. Only the vampires sired by the ancient ones have those. We’ll need to keep a closer watch on Luhan until the trial. I have a feeling it’s not going to let its food source get away so easily.”

While he bristled at the implication Kris made about their relationship—one he too would have made a few months ago—he stayed silent. The less they knew about Jongin, the better, and they already knew far too much.

“Come, Xing.” Kris snagged him by the arm and pulled him from the room. “I’ll have Chanyeol take up guard. You need rest.”

Their voices muffled once the door was shut, and Luhan relaxed, flopping back against the pillows. That had been too close, and he felt exhausted. More so, perhaps, because his brothers looked through him like he was invisible, like he was dead already and the trial was just a formality. Other than Kyungsoo, none of them had tried to talk to him.

Their indifference hurt more than anger ever could. 

If they hadn’t changed their rooms, then Yixing’s room was on the other side of the wall, and Luhan was briefly worried about Yixing’s safety as something that sounded like a body collided with the wall right next to Luhan’s bed. He startled; head cocked as he listened for sounds of distress. There was nothing he could do—he was locked in his own room—but just because they were indifferent over his fate didn’t mean that he didn’t care for them.

Instead, what he heard was a deep, gravely groan that sounded an awful lot like Kris, a short gasp, and the hushed muttering of Mandarin. Luhan intentionally tuned out the rest, not keen on hearing his past brothers work out their remaining adrenaline. Sighing, he rolled over and pulled a pillow over his head, slipping into sleep far easier than he’d anticipated.

The days passed slowly, time slipping away from him as his mind spun through every possible outcome of the upcoming trial.

Most of the time he wished they would drag him to trial because it would be worlds better than the endless staring at walls he was doing. But the thought of facing the council and whatever discipline they had for him made him quail. Now that Kyungsoo had forgiven him for what _he_ considered to be his greatest sin, he didn’t feel accountable for whatever other sins they would lay at his feet.

Even if, in the back of his mind, he still felt like he was wrong for leaving everything he’d been taught behind. He didn’t _feel_ that way, but despite all the unlearning he’d done in the last few months, it would take much more to absolve him of the guilt.

That was why, he reasoned, when they finally dragged him in front of the council he wished he’d let Jongin take him away.

The council was made up of hunters who had lived long enough to be too slow to hunt vampires—a rarity, in the profession of a vampire hunter—but the few who lived long enough served as their ruling body and government. Luhan hadn’t seen a problem with that system until now, when he realized that without any opposing views the council was largely autocratic, serving one purpose.

A purpose he no longer wanted any part of.

He’d only been in the council’s chambers a handful of times in his youth. It was a large room, a rectangular table spanning the length of the far wall, with five seats. As the largest building in the compound, its ceilings were high and arched, supports like bones of some great beast keeping the ceiling from collapsing down on them. The stone floor was cold beneath his bare feet, the large hearth behind the council table not reaching beyond, giving comfort to the only people who deserved it, he supposed.

There was a single chair in front of the council’s table, which Kris shoved him into with no small amount of glee. The rest of the space was taken up with hunters, both old and young, silently glaring at him and judging him before the trial had started. He knew before the council walked in that he wasn’t escaping alive.

Everyone in the room was out for blood. His, specifically.

A door to his far left opened, and the council filed in, expressions filled with solemnity Luhan wasn’t sure they felt and settled into their seats. It seemed like everyone in the room took a collective breath and leaned forward in anticipation, waiting for the trial to begin. 

He met Kyungsoo’s eyes across the room, receiving a sad smile.

“Hunters, we’ve gathered here today to discuss the heresy of disciple Luhan.” Head councilman Han sat up straighter in his middle seat, glancing at the others on either side of him and pinning Luhan with a formidably emotionless stare. “The list of charges is quite extensive, including attempting to kill one of his own brothers, and fraternizing to an unknown degree with vampires.”

Low murmurs started up in the hunters around him, some shuffling further away from him like he was diseased.

“Furthermore, he has proven to be unrepentant of these crimes as well as unwilling to submit to our justice. For this purpose, we have gathered here today to determine what punishment he shall receive.”

Luhan had known Han Geng his entire life, admiring his ruthlessness in hunting, his nearly unmatched kill count. He’d been one of Luhan’s teachers, and the first person to instruct him on how to throw a knife at someone’s eye. It stung that he was so emotionless when Luhan viewed him as an older brother, a protector.

Then again, Luhan had always failed at the “develop no feelings about anything” rule they seemed to treat like gospel truth.

Han Geng turned to the man on his right. “Councilman Zhou, will you summarize for the council the actions taken by disciple Luhan?”

“Disciple Luhan left the compound without orders, stabbing disciple Kyungsoo in the process and nearly killing him,” Zhou Mi began, eyes slowly raking over the assembled crowd. “Despite attempts by Luhan’s brothers to track him, he eluded them. Disciple Kris’s unit was tasked with hunting down an ancient one, during which they caught sight of Luhan, although he disappeared yet again. As they continued to track the ancient one, they discovered a residence inhabited by a vampire, where Luhan was dwelling.” A dramatic gasp sounded from somewhere in the audience. “While they were doing reconnaissance, Luhan appeared in the daylight, and Kris and his team moved in to apprehend him, which he resisted.”

“Thank you, Councilman Zhou.” Han Geng turned back to face Luhan. “Anything you’d like to add, Kris?”

Luhan looked over his shoulder to find both Kris and Yixing standing behind him. He’d spotted Chanyeol hovering protectively by Kyungsoo, and Tao was leaning against a far wall and absently spinning a knife in his hands, but he’d forgotten about Kris and Yixing. His skills were slipping after days of confinement.

“A few nights ago, disciple Yixing found a vampire in Luhan’s room. We believe its gift allows it to move from place to place without detection, and considering its sire was an ancient one, the powers make sense. However, when Yixing attempted to kill it, Luhan jumped in front of his knives, staying his strike and allowing the vampire time to escape.”

More murmuring, but angry in tone and louder.

Han Geng nodded while other members leaned around him to whisper to each other. “Disciple Luhan. Do you have anything to say in defense of your actions?”

“Life is sacred.”

“Is that all you have to say?” A different councilman leaned forward—Leeteuk, if Luhan remembered correctly.

“Life is sacred, _all _life.” Luhan kept his back straight, hands settled lightly on his thighs, keeping the tremor from his voice out of sheer will alone. “All I knew when I left was that I didn’t want this life anymore, I didn’t want to kill. But out there I learned how precious life is to all beings, even vampires, and that there are no absolutes when it comes to good and evil.”

So loud were the protestations from the hunters in the room, that Luhan wasn’t sure the council had heard his last sentence.

Han Geng raised a hand for silence and got it after another few seconds. “Are you saying that you no longer believe in our sacred mission?”

“I’m saying I never did. I didn’t have the courage to act until a few months ago.” He glanced at Kyungsoo. “I am truly sorry for the attempt I made on Kyungsoo’s life, and for the various guards I dispatched on my way out. I did not want to, but at the time I felt it was necessary.” He locked eyes with each member of the council. “But I don’t regret any of my other actions.”

Han Geng leaned back in his seat and all five members leaned together, whispering quietly. Luhan felt oddly at peace, despite knowing logically that this wasn’t going to end well for him. He’d finally found something he felt was truly worth believing in, and if all the books he’d read in Jongin’s library had taught him anything, it was that dying for love was always a noble death.

He met Tao’s eyes, giving him a tight smile, getting a stiff nod in return. Kyungsoo blinked at him with wide, understanding eyes, while Chanyeol pointedly looked anywhere but at him. Yixing flinched when he gently reached back and found his wrist, squeezing gently. Looking at Kris over his shoulder got him a sideways glance and a tightening at the corners of his mouth.

Han Geng cleared his throat. “Your choices are thus: death or a lifelong vow of fealty to us. Choose death, and it will be immediate. Swear fealty, and you’ll remain at the compound to become a trainer, banned from active missions until we feel you’ve earned enough trust for that.”

Luhan closed his eyes. It was different, hearing the outcome aloud. He’d suspected his options would be something like that, if he were offered any at all, but hope was a tenacious thing, and it had persisted in his heart, the thought that _maybe_ they’d let him go in exile.

With a silent, heartfelt plea to Jongin to forgive him, Luhan said, “Death, then. Anything is better than being forced to serve something I no longer believe in.”

“Disappointing. You were one of our best soldiers. We needed you in the upcoming war.”

He looked up sharply. Upcoming war? How many times had he heard the council talking about how the chosen one was needed if they were to wage war against vampires? “You still plan to wage war against vampires?”

Leeteuk smiled thinly. “Surely you didn’t think you were the only one capable of leading the charge? Tao has agreed to take your place as chosen one.”

Luhan thought he might be sick. Tao had no idea what he was volunteering for. He would be dead within moments if he ever went up against any of the vampires Luhan had met over the last few months. None of them were prepared for what they would face in an actual war against vampires, but Tao least of all.

“Kris, if you would.” Zhou Mi motioned to the bare floor in front of Luhan, and before he could twitch in protest Kris had hauled him from the chair by the scruff of his neck and forced him to his knees. “Would anyone like to volunteer to carry out Luhan’s sentence?”

“Please,” Chanyeol said with a manic smile. “Allow me.”

Luhan knelt on the unforgiving stone floor, his knees aching with the strain, staring at the unremarkable grey of it and knowing, as cool steel brushed his exposed nape, that it would be the last thing he saw. He closed his eyes, summoning the warmth of Jongin’s smile instead, his own lips curling up in reflex at the memory, eyes burning with tears he didn’t have time to shed.

_Goodbye Jongin, my love._

As the steel disappeared from his neck, he waited for the flash of pain that would herald his departure from mortality. And waited.

Opened his eyes when nothing happened to see a pair of shoes in his vision. Traveling up the legs, unease started to coil in his stomach. He recognized those jeans, the length and bulk of the legs. They’d been tangled with his own enough for him to know them immediately. His worst fears were confirmed when his eyes made their way up a torso to Jongin’s face. He had one hand wrapped around Chanyeol’s raised arm, keeping him from delivering the killing blow.

Stupid, _idiot_ vampire.

“Hello there, wildcat.”

The entire hall was so quiet Luhan could hear Chanyeol’s stuttered breath of surprise as Jongin appeared out of thin air. His mind spun faster than one of Yixing's shurikens, glancing at the far wall where the windows were and yeah, it was midday so how—

A memory of Seulgi walking in broad daylight under the cover of fog floated to the surface, and he looked up at Jongin with wide eyes, who winked before turning around, stepping back into Chanyeol, and throwing him over his shoulder onto the council table.

The room erupted in chaos.

Jongin shoved a knife at him—one of his own that he’d left behind at the house—and disappeared, only to return a second later with Junmyeon, Sehun, Taemin, Seulgi, Baekhyun, Minseok and Jongdae with him. There was another female with Seulgi he didn’t recognize, as well as a male next to Taemin he’d never seen.

“Heard you wanted to start a war,” Baekhyun shouted over the din around them. “Thought we’d save you a few steps and bring it directly to you.”

Luhan sensed movement behind him and stuck out a foot, tripping Kris as he tried to rush for Minseok, who easily looked the least dangerous with his delicate features and build. The hunters were quick, but nowhere near fast enough to pin any of the vampires down. As Luhan’s brothers rushed him, the vampires scattered around the room, engaging them before they could reach him. Jongdae leapt over his head for Yixing while Minseok danced around Kris.

In any attack, the priority was to protect the council, which meant he had to move quickly. Hunters had already surrounded them and were clearing a path to the door they’d entered from, out into the daylight. Luhan looked at Jongin before grabbing his hand, the world shifting around him in a blink of the eye as Jongin moved them to block the way, Seulgi on his other side.

She wasted no time, slipping past the hunters like a wisp of fog and using her claw-like nails to rip out the throat of the first councilman she could reach. Luhan engaged a tiny senior hunter, Ryeowook, while Jongin distracted the other hunters, leaving Seulgi free to continue dispatching the council.

“Weapons down, or I take his head off!” Seulgi shouted, her fingers at Han Geng’s throat, with enough authority to make everyone pause, several hunters dropping their knives immediately.

Luhan used Ryeowook’s split-second of distraction to disarm him, getting him in a chokehold and putting his own back to the wall, looking out over the hall as he held Ryeowook like a shield. Junmyeon had a snarling Tao pinned, while Baekhyun had his teeth in a limp Chanyeol’s neck. Yixing had several bleeding cuts along his neck and arms from Jongdae, while Kris and Minseok were locked in an embrace that had them so entangled Luhan wasn’t sure if it was entirely violent in nature. Sehun and Kyungsoo were still in fighting stances, eyeing each other warily as Seulgi spoke.

He heard what she started with but was immediately distracted by Taemin slipping through the crowd, making Ryeowook slump to the ground, unconscious, with one well-placed jab of his fingers, crowding Luhan up against the wall. He hugged Taemin tightly, so happy to see him even if half the eyes in the room were now watching the way Taemin was inhaling deeply against his neck instead of the very real threat Seulgi was presenting them.

“You _dare _interfere with our right to exercise justice on one of our hunters?” Zhou Mi stepped forward bravely. “And you wonder why it’s our mission to end your cursed existence.”

Seulgi rolled her eyes. With a twitch of her eyebrow, she said, “Irene, love. If you would.”

Zhou Mi slumped to the ground, missing a heart, Irene making an expression of disgust as she wiped her hand clean on his clothes. It wasn’t the first death he’d seen—hell, not even the first tonight—but it was the first time he’d seen someone rip a heart from a chest with their bare hands. His stomach heaved.

“Steady, Lu,” Taemin whispered.

“Luhan isn’t one of your hunters,” Jongin said, shifting the room’s attention onto him. “Not anymore. He hasn’t been since he left.”

“He was called to perform a great service in the name of our beliefs,” Leeteuk argued, shifting away from Irene and Seulgi subtly. “It is within our rights to ask him for reparations, since he failed to complete that service.”

“With his life?” Junmyeon looked unimpressed, his knee pressed to the small of Tao’s back. “I think not.”

“Primitive. Archaic, even,” Baekhyun chimed in, getting a quelling look from Junmyeon.

Taemin pulled him down into a deep, lusty kiss that said far more than words ever could. “Don’t scare us like that again, Lu. Jongin would be ruined if anything happened to you.” _I would too, _his eyes said. Luhan sagged against him, letting Taemin take most of his weight. 

“You _dare _engage in such blatant sacrilege?” Leeteuk shrieked, his expression of outrage mirrored by Han Geng and the other councilman. “If we needed any proof that your life was indeed forfeit, you’ve just provided it.”

By this time, most of the casual onlookers had retreated from the hall, escaping before the vampires turned to more harmless prey, only hunters staying. Several were still trying to inch their way toward the remaining three members of the council, the vampire who had arrived with Taemin keeping a close watch on them.

The most telling, however, were the shocked looks his fellow hunters gave him. Kyungsoo froze, his eyes full of grief as he looked at Luhan. Even though he’d already known, Luhan supposed it was different seeing proof in person. Most of his brothers were too surprised to react, but Tao, however, had no such hesitation, and rushed directly for Luhan’s throat, knives out. 

He shoved Taemin aside and barely got his own up in time, arms shaking under the force of Tao’s relentless attack. He managed to slip away, stumbling several steps away to give himself a second to breathe. Jongin appeared out of nowhere and pinned Tao up against the wall, teeth bared.

“I’m not sure it bodes well for your war if your new chosen one can be pinned so easily,” Luhan muttered, his eyes finding Junmyeon’s and wondering how Tao had managed to break free of his hold.

“What choice do we have?” Yixing cried, fighting against Jongdae’s hold on him. “Our best hunter left us to go fuck around with vampires. We had to do _something.”_

Luhan rounded on them. “Tao is a _child!”_ he reprimanded. “You had no right involving him so heavily in something that would only get him killed. You’re supposed to protect each other!”

“And you were supposed to protect us!” Kris shouted, rounding on Luhan despite Minseok’s grip on him. It was a somewhat comical sight—tiny Minseok effortlessly restraining Kris’s large frame. “You were our big brother! Our protector! And instead of keeping us safe and together you _stabbed_ Kyungsoo and ran away.” Kris had fire in his eyes. “You don’t get to be angry for what happened after you left us to pick up the pieces.”

Stunned as he was by the sudden piles of guilt that had been heaped at his feet, he wasn’t prepared for Tao flipping positions with Jongin and slamming him into the wall. “You left us,” he growled at Luhan. “What else were we supposed to do?”

“Enough!” Junmyeon yelled, grabbing Tao by the scruff of his neck and pulling him away from Jongin. “Despite what has happened, we don’t want a war. We want to live peacefully.” He gave Han Geng and Leeteuk a searching look. “Surely, we can reach some sort of agreement that would allow us to co-exist peacefully.”

There was a long, tense moment in which Luhan saw Seulgi’s fingers flex threateningly around Han Geng’s throat, and Leeteuk exchange a nervous glance with the other councilman. Finally, Han Geng looked around at his hunters, some pinned, others too terrified to move with so many vampires in the room, and said, “We can try.”

“I’ll be back at midnight,” Junmyeon confirmed, before turning to Jongin. “If you would please, Jongin?”

Luhan was pulled into Jongin’s grip before they moved to the center of the room and had a dozen hands pressed against him or Jongin, then quicker than lightning the room bled into a different room free of anything he recognized from his childhood.

“You’re safe, you’re okay,” Jongin whispered, cradling his face and peppering it with kisses.

And so profound was his relief, so glorious the release of stress, that he promptly passed out.

He really had to break the habit of waking up in places he didn’t remember falling asleep in. He first became aware of an arm around his waist, another body pressed up against his own, enveloped in warmth and softness.

“Jongin?” he whispered, half afraid that the warmth would disappear, and he’d be alone, back in the compound, waiting for sentencing. His dreams had been far too realistic of late.

Lips pressed to the nape of his neck, small puffs of air disturbing his hair. “Try again, little hunter.”

A smile tugging at his lips, Luhan rolled over and pressed his smile to Taemin’s lips. “Taemin.”

“Luhan.”

“That was stupid, what you did.” He pulled away, doing his best to glare at Taemin despite the happiness blooming in his chest. “I know it was your idea to storm in fangs bared and rescue me—you could have gotten yourselves killed!”

Taemin looked highly affronted. “Oh, like you were doing any better on your own. And I’d never risk Nini’s life. Besides, it was Junmyeon’s idea. _My_ idea involved killing them all in the dead of night.”

“Where is he?” It was suddenly the most important thing that Luhan see Jongin.

“Jongin? Talking with Junmyeon, I believe. He stepped away not five minutes ago, asking me to watch over you while he was gone. I don’t think he wanted you to wake up alone.”

Luhan took a moment to digest that, still a little awed by the depth of feeling Jongin had for him. “Will you go get him?”

Taemin pouted at him. “What, am I not enough for you?” He made a tsking sound. “Lucky Jongin, finding someone so devoted to him.”

“I don’t need him instead of you,” Luhan corrected. “I want both of you here.”

Taemin brushed strands of his hair out of his face, tucking them behind his ear. “What a greedy little hunter you are,” he remarked, with so much warmth in his voice his teasing had no sting. “What are we going to do with you?”

Basking in the safety and peace of the moment, Luhan didn’t think before saying, “Keep me forever I guess.” 

Taemin blinked at him in wide-eyed surprise for several moments before his entire expression went unbearably soft. “I suppose we could do that.” Taemin pulled him in for a slow, lazy kiss, only pulling away when Luhan needed to breathe. “I’ll go fetch Jongin. Be right back.” His lips ghosted over Luhan’s forehead before he moved from the room.

Luhan settled back against the pillows, realizing after a few slow moments that he hadn’t even asked where he was. It was profound to him that he felt so safe with Taemin and Jongin he no longer worried for his well-being, the paranoia dripping off him like water.

He turned when the door to his room opened with a soft click, the smile slipping from his face when he saw Junmyeon entering, instead of Jongin or Taemin.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.”

Luhan sat up, wary. “Where’s Jongin?”

Junmyeon sat on the edge of the bed, far enough away that he wasn’t touching Luhan, but still too close for his comfort. “I asked him to let me talk to you first,” Junmyeon explained, giving Luhan what he must have thought was a reassuring smile.

Luhan did not feel reassured. His instincts were telling him he wasn’t about to like what Junmyeon had come here to tell him. “About what?”

“I managed to work out a deal with the council.” Junmyeon wasted no time in getting straight to the point. “Since vampires consumed with bloodlust endanger our livelihoods as well as that of humans, we agreed to inform them whenever a vampire loses control, allowing them to take care of the problem. In return, they leave us alone.”

“So, you found a way to get them to back down?” Luhan narrowed his eyes. That wasn’t the clan he’d been raised by. “What did they demand in return?”

Junmyeon was still, his expression giving away nothing. Centuries of living had made him more statue than human, in Luhan’s opinion, and it was distinctly unsettling to him. “That we communicate with them through a liaison, not personally.” A faint smile tugged at his lips. “Apparently they find me unsettling.”

He stared at Junmyeon blankly. He already knew where this was going, but he wasn’t nice enough to say it for Junmyeon.

“They’ve requested you to be the liaison.”

Of course. “What would that entail?”

Perhaps buoyed by the fact that Luhan hadn’t dismissed him outright, Junmyeon continued with a bit more brightness to his eyes. “I’m still working out the details, but notifying them of any vampires I inform you of, being available should they wish to ask us about potential threats. You would need to meet with me on a regular basis, at least at first.”

“Are they expecting me to live there?”

“I don’t believe so, but I’m not certain.”

“I would need to know for certain. Because I’m not going back there.”

“Noted. Any other questions?”

Scrunching his nose, he asked, “How often would I need to work with you?” He pressed forward, vaguely worried by Junmyeon’s lack of reaction. He was unnervingly still. “You’re not exactly my favorite vampire.”

“Because it’s my job to keep tabs on all vampires in this area. I’m the most informed, therefore the easiest to work with in this capacity.”

“Yes, but why is that _you._ Couldn’t it be Jongin? Or Taemin?” He’d even take Baekhyun or Jongdae over dealing with Junmyeon, although he’d never admit it.

“Did Jongin not tell you?” Junmyeon quirked his head, expression melting into something faintly curious. “Odd, I would have thought he’d mention it.”

“Obviously he didn’t, so would you please tell me what I’m supposed to know?”

“I rule over vampires in this hemisphere, Luhan.”

He blinked at Junmyeon in shock, his entire worldview shifting on its axis. Of course, he’d been taught that there were four vampire ‘kings’, one for each hemisphere of the world, but he’d never expected to _know_ one of them. “Oh,” he said faintly.

Junmyeon’s smile was small, but real. “Yes. Oh.”

“May I think about it?”

Standing gracefully, Junmyeon nodded once. “Yes, of course. I’ll need to return to them with an answer tomorrow, however. Please let me know before then what you’d like to do.”

“But you want me to agree.”

The only answer he received was another careful smile before Junmyeon left the room.

Jongin and Taemin found him a few minutes later, sitting where Junmyeon had left him, deep in thought.

“Luhan!” Jongin swept him into his arms, lifting him from the bed and swinging him around, hugging him tightly.

Unused to being greeted with such enthusiasm, Luhan squeaked before he could stop himself, clinging to Jongin until the world stopped spinning and his feet were back on the ground. “Jongin,” he sighed, winding his arms around his neck and relaxing against him gratefully, “thank you for coming back for me, even if it was stupid.”

“I told you he wasn’t mad,” Taemin commented, sinking his hands into his pockets.

Jongin pulled away enough to kiss Luhan lightly, smiling down at him with eyes so full of gold they shimmered. “I couldn’t let you die. I couldn’t bear it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were vampire royalty?”

“Oh, sweet darkness, here we go,” Taemin muttered.

Jongin was looking at him with such comical shock Luhan would have laughed had he not been so serious. “What?”

“You’re basically a prince, Jongin. Your maker is a king of vampires. One of the ancient four?” He shook his head. “No _wonder_ the others were tracking him.”

“I didn’t think it mattered?”

“Didn’t think—Jongin! Of course, it matters!”

Jongin’s eyes turned sad. “Does that…change something for you?”

Realizing he was being misunderstood, Luhan cupped Jongin’s jaw and looked him seriously in the eyes. “No, it doesn’t. Not in how I feel about you. But I wish you’d told me. We were so reckless.”

“Oh, yes. That’s certainly accurate.” Jongin’s shoulders slumped in relief. “I apologize for not saying something sooner.”

“It’s not like it impacts your life, really,” Taemin added. “Until you took in a hunter, you had no reason to give your lineage much thought.” He reached out for Luhan’s hand, kissing the back of it before stepping closer. “What did Junmyeon want?”

Jongin shifted, keeping one arm around Luhan’s waist, the other going out to gently caress Taemin’s cheek. “Yes, he said he needed to speak with you alone.” Both vampires turned to regard him with golden eyes.

“Junmyeon managed to work out a deal,” he began, bracing for their inevitable poor reactions. “They’ve agreed to work with him in controlling the vampires that are out of control, as long as I’m the liaison between hunters and vampires.”

“No,” Jongin griped. His arm tightened around his waist, while Taemin’s grip on his hand was bordering painful.

“Absolutely not,” Taemin agreed. “We’re not letting you go back to them.”

“Things are still in negotiation. I wouldn’t live there. Just report names of vampires Junmyeon thinks are a danger to your society.” Luhan sighed. “I don’t like it either, but if it’s a way that I get to live away from that place and be with you…it’s worth it.”

“But, surely there’s another way?” Taemin persisted, while Jongin pressed a kiss to his temple.

“Maybe,” Luhan conceded. “We won’t know until Junmyeon meets with them again, and he needs an answer from me before he can do that. However, that’s tomorrow’s problem.” He leaned in to kiss first Taemin, then Jongin, letting his affection for them seep into the kisses. “For now, I want to spend time with both of you. I missed you both dearly.”

Jongin hugged him tightly. “Of course, whatever you need.”

His hand was tugged insistently toward the bed by Taemin, a coy smile tugging at his lips. “Come, little human.”

Happily, Luhan surrendered to the pull.

“I told you it would be a bad idea for me to come with you.”

Junmyeon sighed, world weary. “They requested you as their liaison; the least they could do was be civil.”

“Clearly you’ve never met a group of hunters. They won’t forgive my sacrilege anytime soon.” Luhan kept pace with Junmyeon as they left the compound, a weight lifting from him as he moved beyond the walls. As much as he knew this agreement was the only way he would be able to live in peace, it still made him nervous to enter, afraid he would never be free again.

Not that Jongin—or Taemin—would ever let that happen.

“Luhan!” He and Junmyeon both turned at the call of his name, watching as Yixing jogged up to them. “Can I speak with you, privately?”

Junmyeon looked at the sky, where the moon was still high. “I’ll wait for you out here,” he agreed, nodding as Luhan walked back toward the compound with Yixing.

“I’d rather not go back inside, if you don’t mind,” he said hesitantly, as Yixing gave him a shrewd look and slowed his steps, eventually coming to a halt just outside the main gate to the compound. “What’s this about, Yixing?”

“I wanted you to know that, while I can’t understand why you would so willingly take up with vampires, I don’t hate you for what you did.” Always one to be forthright, Luhan appreciated Yixing’s bluntness.

“Thank you,” he replied. At a loss for what else to say, he stood there while Yixing eyed him thoughtfully.

“Why did you agree to this? To being a liaison?”

“I wanted to live, and not in hiding or on the run.”

Yixing studied him for a moment, crossing his arms and biting his lip before saying, “I never thought that you’d take up with the vampires. You must really love him, that vampire I found in your room. I can’t believe you would allow yourself to be so weak, and yet here we are.”

“That’s what they taught us; that love was a weakness.” Luhan placed a hand on Yixing’s forearm. “But look at what love has given me. It gave me a whole host of people on my side, who came for me when I was in danger.” He searched Yixing’s closed off expression, hoping for a flicker of emotion. “Besides, can you really tell me you wouldn’t do anything for Kris? That Chanyeol doesn’t feel more than a brotherly affection for Kyungsoo?”

Yixing pursed his lips and looked away. Luhan gave him time to think about it, knowing that he had to weigh everything in his mind before speaking. Finally, he replied, “You might have a point.”

“It took me a while with Jongin before I realized that the council wasn’t correct in everything they taught us.”

“So, what are you going to do now?” Yixing looked back at him, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

“What do you mean?”

Yixing nodded in Junmyeon’s direction. “The bloodsuckers. I take it you’ll be living with them?” He waited for Luhan to nod in confirmation. “Are you going to become one?”

A swooping sensation swung through him. He’d thought about it, of course, spending eternity with Jongin and Taemin, if they would want that. But it was altogether different to have a hunter ask him. “I’ve thought about it,” he hedged.

“So, you’re going to, then.” Yixing nodded, like it was what he’d expected. “I suppose I’ll be seeing you around?”

Luhan hesitantly reached out for Yixing, wondering if he would let him touch more than a forearm. “Yixing, I don’t want us to be enemies.”

“You’ve given us no choice but to capitulate to the demands of your vampires.” He was stiff when Luhan pulled him into a tentative hug, but slowly relaxed. “Your boyfriend and his friends murdered half the council. What choice did we have?”

“I didn’t want any of this to happen.”

“But it did.” Yixing sighed and pulled away, reaching behind him and unhooking something from his belt. “Here. Your knives. The vampire you came with is looking antsy to get out of here before the sun starts to rise.”

Luhan looked down at his Deerhorn knives feeling stunned. “Yixing…”

“Go, Luhan,” Yixing commanded with a wan smile. “You don’t belong here anymore. Not really.” It wasn’t a cruel statement, merely a fact only Yixing was brave enough to say.

“Wait!” He stopped Yixing before he could walk away. Fumbling around his knives, he pulled the protection charm off, holding it out for Yixing. “This is yours. I don’t think I’ll be needing it anymore.”

Yixing’s eyes widened, just slightly, and he took the charm from Luhan. “Thank you, Lu.”

Impulsively, Luhan leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Yixing’s cheek. “Until we meet again, then.”

“Alright?” Junmyeon inquired, once he’d rejoined him, like he hadn’t been listening in to their conversation.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Luhan felt Yixing’s gaze sitting heavy on the back of his neck until the trees swallowed him up.

By the time Luhan and Junmyeon got back to the safe house they were staying in, there were only a few hours until sunrise.

Jongin was on him the moment he walked in, checking him over for injuries and kissing him repeatedly. Luhan barely made it out of his shoes and into the living room before Jongin was overwhelming all his senses.

“Let him breathe, Nini,” Taemin cautioned, wrapping an arm around Jongin’s waist and pulling him back slightly, giving Luhan some room. “He’s fine.” Despite his reassuring words, his eyes scrutinized Luhan for any signs of injury.

Luhan pecked Taemin on the cheek in thanks and gave Jongin a fond smile. “I missed you, too.”

“I’m also fine, in case anyone was worried,” Junmyeon supplied, looking put out that he hadn’t been met with such excitement.

Sehun appeared out of nowhere, bending down to kiss Junmyeon deeply and thoroughly, then lifted him in his arms and disappeared from the room.

Taemin blinked at the spot where Junmyeon had been. “I didn’t even get a chance to say something snarky.”

“Oh, how upsetting for you.” Taemin’s response to _that_ was to pull Luhan in roughly and kiss him breathless.

“Get a room, you three,” drawled an unimpressed voice.

Luhan broke away with a gasp, looking over Taemin’s shoulder to see the vampire he’d seen with Taemin back in the compound.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look, Jonghyun.” Nevertheless, Taemin released Luhan, turning to wander over to Jonghyun. “Feeling left out?”

Jonghyun made a face at Taemin. “Never. You know I don’t go for that.” He turned to Jongin. “Nice to see you again, Jongin. A pleasure, as always.” He cocked his head at Luhan. “And you’re the human that’s got them both besotted, I see.”

Taemin rolled his eyes before hooking an arm around Jonghyun’s neck and dragging him into their little circle. “Lu, this is my friend Jonghyun.”

“Ah, the one you left me and Jongin for,” Luhan teased, gratified when Taemin sputtered in a rare lapse of composure and Jonghyun smirked gleefully.

“It’s so delightful that you’ve found the one human who isn’t terrified of you,” Jonghyun mused, smiling at Luhan. “You’ve needed the challenge.”

“Luhan fears nothing,” Baekhyun insisted, floating into the room like silk on a breeze. Predictably, he was followed by both Jongdae and Minseok.

He didn’t bother to correct Baekhyun. He had plenty of fears and exchanging a quick glance with Jongin confirmed that they shared the same concerns, but he remained silent, letting the chatter that always followed Baekhyun fill the room.

Still feeling drained and weak from the stress of willfully returning to the place of his nightmares, Luhan allowed Taemin to pull him down onto a sofa, curling up against him while Taemin chatted easily with Minseok and Jonghyun. Jongin bent over to press a kiss to Taemin’s temple, then Luhan’s lips, before leaving the room. He blinked lazily in contentment as Taemin absently played with his fingers, Baekhyun and Jongdae curled up in an armchair together, talking quietly with one another.

It was a kind of relaxed serenity that Luhan hadn’t realized he craved until he was presented with it, a peaceful vignette he would hold in his mind until the edges were fuzzy and sepia toned. Presently, Jongin joined him and Taemin on the couch, handing a plate with rice and curry to Luhan, who hadn’t even realized he was hungry until food was under his nose.

Jongin pulled him to rest between his legs, reclining against Jongin’s chest as he ate. Taemin reluctantly let go of his hand to let him eat, instead shifting to pull Luhan’s legs into his lap, fingers gently stroking the skin of his ankles. He quickly lost all threads of conversation, absorbed with eating and Jongin’s nose brushing against the side of his neck, teasingly.

As he finished his food, he became aware that at some point the others had disappeared into their rooms, the lightening of the world outside the window signaling the dawn. Only Jonghyun was left, chatting quietly with Taemin. But even he, with an amused glance at Luhan and Jongin, quickly excused himself. As soon as he left the room, there was a flurry of movement around him as his plate and Jongin disappeared, and Taemin was bearing him down into the couch with heady, insistent kisses.

“Taemin,” he managed between deep kisses, tangling his fingers into the liquid silver of Taemin’s hair. “Slow down.”

Taemin growled against his throat, fingers digging into Luhan’s thigh as he hitched his leg around his waist. “I’m _starving,_ and I haven’t seen you in weeks. Then when I _do,_ you almost die.” Sharp teeth nipped insistently at his neck, tongue lingering where his pulse beat.

“Well, then.” And really, who was Luhan to argue with that logic? While his feelings for Taemin weren’t as deep as they were for Jongin, it didn’t mean he wasn’t absolutely enamored with him. Taemin had the gravitational pull of a star, and Luhan was helpless to the pull of him. “If you’re going to fuck me, at least move us to a bed.”

Taemin bit down on his shoulder, perhaps harder than he’d intended, and levered himself up whilst keeping Luhan in his hold, putting his formidable vampire strength to excellent use. Luhan made a mental note to ask one of them to pin him up against a wall at some point in the future.

Lifted as he was in Taemin’s arms, he had to endure the teasing kisses Taemin placed to his neck in the brief period of time it took until he was being lowered against cool sheets, Taemin kissing him with a hunger he couldn’t begin to match, but tried all the same.

“You said you were hungry?” Luhan gasped, as Taemin’s hands wandered up his shirt, fingers sinking into the spaces of his ribs like they were made to be there.

“Mmm…I haven’t had time to feed what with all the excitement, and Jongin may have mentioned how delicious you taste.”

Luhan watched Taemin’s eyes flash gold at the edges, bared his neck, and said, “Well, go on then. Take a small bite.”

Taemin did not hesitate. Luhan arched into him as Taemin’s teeth sunk deep into his neck, gasping as the sharp prick of pain registered, his sigh turning into a moan as tingles of pleasure radiated from the epicenter. He squirmed slightly as Taemin’s hips ground down against his own, one hand gripping Luhan’s hip to keep him still, the other hooked under his body, hand grasping Luhan’s shoulder. Feeling well and truly pinned, Luhan could only relax into the sheets and card his fingers through Taemin’s hair as he drank.

His head lolled to the side, giving Taemin more room, and he relished the satisfied hum vibrating against his neck. Blinking his eyes open, he registered Jongin standing in the doorway, eyes dark as he watched them.

Luhan stretched out a hand for him, feeling a dazed smile tug his lips up, eyelashes fluttering in bliss as Taemin squeezed his leg and rolled his hips just right. Jongin was at his side in an instant, the bed barely jostling as his weight settled next to Luhan, Jongin’s hand clasped in his and his lips trailing along his forearm.

After an intense pleasure-soaked eternity Taemin pulled away from his neck, tongue lapping up every stray droplet of blood. Flames ignited beneath his skin as Jongin reached over and grabbed Taemin’s jaw, turning him so he could lick Luhan’s blood from his teeth, sucking his tongue clean in a lewd display that had Luhan’s already hard cock throbbing.

In a motion he could only define as predatory, Taemin turned back to face Luhan with a smile. “You are _delicious,_ little hunter.” He captured Luhan into another kiss before he could respond. “So tantalizing, consuming.”

“Fuck me,” Luhan commanded, looking between both vampires.

They went eerily still for several of his heartbeats. “Together?”

He wiggled his hips, making Taemin gasp and Jongin’s eyes slip half shut. “Yes. It’s how it should be, the three of us.” Jongin’s lips prevented him from saying anything else.

From there it was scattered impressions he would remember later. Perhaps because of the blood he’d lost, or simply because it was too overwhelming to fully process, what he came away with were moments burned into his skin like flesh memories.

Their clothes _evaporating_ to somewhere Luhan couldn’t recall.

Gasping on hands and knees as Jongin ate him out, his hands fisting in the sheets, Taemin’s cock heavy on his tongue.

Taemin’s fingers crooking inside him, his face buried in the pillows as he tried to hold on, Jongin’s hand slowly pulling him off. He sobbed in frustrated relief when Jongin released him, only to cry out when Taemin slid in with one sharp snap of his hips.

The world spinning around him as he was flipped onto his back, manhandled easily in a way that made his muscles twitch in pleasure, Taemin sliding back into him while Jongin settled behind Taemin, doing something Luhan couldn’t see that made Taemin still and shudder, teeth sinking into Luhan’s shoulder when he clenched around Taemin playfully.

Endless praise spilled from Taemin’s lips as he was pressed closer to Luhan, Jongin slowly sinking into him, forcing him deeper into Luhan. It was Taemin’s strained whine, breathy and high right against his ear, that finally had Luhan tipping over the edge.

When he came back to himself, Jongin had a hand between Taemin’s shoulder blades, pressing him into the sheets as he chased their pleasure. Luhan wormed his hand between the sheets and Taemin, a feat made easier when Taemin lifted his hips back to meet Jongin’s, making a fist for Taemin to slide into every time Jongin’s hips pushed him forward.

They both came within moments of each other, speaking of the kind of synchronicity he imagined came with centuries of learning each other inside and out. He pulled his hand away when Taemin started quivering, too sensitive, and wiped his fingers on the sheets. He laid there, basking in the afterglow, smiling when he felt Jongin’s familiar lips working at his ribs, lapping up the stray drops of blood from the places Taemin’s teeth had sunk in too deeply.

Eventually Taemin managed to find his feet, disappearing only to return a second later with a cloth to clean them up. When he was done wiping Luhan down, and Jongin was busy cleaning himself up, Taemin eyed the sheets. “We’re not sleeping here. We’ll go to your room, Jongin.”

Luhan didn’t move, waiting for one of his vampires to pick him up, humming when he was lifted into strong arms.

“You’re spoiled,” Jongin commented, whisking him away to a bed with clean sheets, tucking him gently in.

“And whose fault is that?” Luhan snuggled against the pillows, murmuring contentedly when Taemin bracketed him on one side, Jongin the other. “I wasn’t until I met you two.”

“Well, can you blame us?” Taemin seemed to be asking rhetorically, since he occupied Luhan’s lips with a slow, sticky kiss instead.

“Our human,” Jongin whispered, kissing along his jaw.

“Stay with us?” Taemin implored, pulling away just enough that Luhan could see the gold of his eyes, tinged with flecks of red, freshly fed.

Luhan cupped his jaw, blinked between both of their honey-warmed gazes. “I’m yours. Forever.”

Faced with two joyed, fangy smiles, Luhan was ready for whatever came next.


	2. epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is entirely smut with some feelings thrown in for spice. enjoy!!

Luhan had one last goodbye to say.

The warm spring sun soaked into his skin, the sky beginning to turn a breathtaking orange at the edges as the sun sank below the horizon. He’d just finished reporting to the council, the empty seats from his trial five years ago now filled by Yixing and Kris, making it much easier for him to report on the vampires Junmyeon was having trouble controlling.

He stood on the back porch, watching the sun succumb to its inevitable fall behind the distant mountains. In the months leading up to tonight, he’d increased the number of hours he was awake in the daylight, saying a long farewell to the warm patches of light he was fond of napping in; the quiet evenings reading in a sunlit room; the heat of it against his skin as he worked through his exercises.

On his way home, he drove into town, picking up a few supplies he needed for tonight. While in the small shop, he spotted a novelty t-shirt that was entirely black, save for the cartoonish white fangs on the front, encircled and struck through with a red line. He picked it up for Taemin, knowing he’d find it hilarious. On his way to the checkout, he happened past a coffee mug that had ‘Bite Me’ printed on it in curling, elegant font. He bought it for Jongin immediately.

Stepping out onto the street, he headed for where he parked his car. It was busy, more people appearing as Friday night activities started in earnest. As he waited on a street corner for the light to change, the crowd at the opposite corner shifted, and he caught a glimpse of Kyungsoo.

Their eyes locked, and there was a moment where time stopped and Luhan’s heart leapt into his throat before he remembered that he didn’t need to feel that way. That Kyungsoo was out on assignment, hunting down a rogue vampire that Junmyeon had submitted to them last month.

“Luhan,” Kyungsoo said with a gentle smile, nodding to him politely as they passed in the middle of the street.

“Kyungsoo.” And it wasn’t what they would have said six years ago, but it was enough. The knowledge that he was happy and living the life he would have never expected that he’d be living, and that all Kyungsoo had in his eyes when he looked at Luhan now was fond warmth...

It was a small thing, and yet so significant.

A small smile tugged at his lips until he got to his car. What a good way to end his last day as a human.

Purchases resting in the passenger seat, he drove home, anticipation mounting the closer he got. Five years was a long time to wait, and he was more than ready. He got home just as the sun slipped behind the horizon, the house predictably silent as he made his way downstairs to their room, setting his bags just inside the bedroom door as he sighed into the darkness.

His lovers were still asleep, tangled together beneath the sheets, the room absolutely still except for the sound of his breathing and his clothes hitting the floor.

It was early for them, but Jongin stirred and shifted toward him as he climbed into bed, his body cool with sleep as he pressed against Luhan, skin to skin. He let himself sink into the quiet, his breathing slowing as the events of his day caught up with him. Jongin and Taemin would wake fully soon, but until then, he dozed peacefully.

He was roused sometime later by Jongin’s arm winding around his waist, pulling him closer. Luhan hummed and rolled with the motion, snuggling close to Jongin who was warmer now that he was more awake.

“You smell like the sun,” Jongin murmured against his skin, nosing at the spot just under his ear. “And humans.”

Luhan kissed a patch of skin he thought might have been Jongin’s shoulder. It was difficult to tell with his eyes closed and the room so dark. “I went out today.”

Taemin yawned, stretching awake and rolling to press against Jongin’s back, blinking sleepily at Luhan over his shoulder. “What had you out and about during the day?”

“Errands mostly, a meeting with the council. Preparations to make for tonight.”

Taemin’s hand grazed his waist. “Are you sure about this, baby? We can wait.”

“It’s been five years, and I'm no less sure of the two of you than I was back then. I’m done waiting.” He hid a smile into the hollow of Jongin’s throat. “Besides, it’s been nearly two weeks since you last fed. You must be starving.”

Jongin’s lips found his, while Taemin squeezed his hip. “Okay, then. If you’re sure.”

“Now.” Luhan demanded, pushing Jongin over and dislodging Taemin, who flicked on a small lamp. Luhan climbed on top of Jongin and straddled his hips. “I’m ready.”

Taemin and Jongin exchanged a look that, in times past he would have found indecipherable, but now he understood was them checking with each other, making sure they were on the same page. Evidently, they were, because Jongin pulled him down for a kiss while Taemin shifted so he could scatter kisses across his neck and shoulders, sharpening teeth beginning to nip at his skin.

They had discussed this at length many times over the last two years. He was approaching thirty-one, and he didn’t want to spend any more time getting older than his boyfriends. “Bite me, lover,” he murmured into Jongin’s mouth, smirking as Taemin pressed closer from behind, Jongin growling softly.

Jongin cupped his face gently, always so tender and sentimental when Luhan least expected it. Taemin bit down unexpectedly, teeth sinking into the meat of his shoulder. Luhan shivered between them, hardening quickly against Jongin as pleasure hummed through him.

“I’m going to miss this,” Jongin murmured, his hand reaching down to where Luhan was pressing against him, gripping both their cocks and stroking them to full hardness.

“Hate to disappoint, but getting me off isn’t going to go away.” Luhan nibbled on his ear, moaning breathily into it as Taemin teased at his rim, teeth still embedded into Luhan’s shoulder.

Jongin snorted, reaching for the lube they kept on the nightstand to ease the glide of his hand. “No, silly. I’m going to miss the taste of you, the way you shiver when we feed from you.” He must have passed the lube to Taemin, because two slick fingers were slowly working their way inside him.

He whined under his breath as Jongin’s wrist flicked just right, pulling him right to the edge as he squeezed around the head, and he came with a quiet gasp, letting Jongin ravish his mouth while he spilled between them.

Taemin’s fingers stilled inside him, his teeth dislodging so he could speak. “Already, babe?”

So, so easy for them, always. “Between you and Jongin, there’s a lot happening,” Luhan defended. “Aren’t you supposed to be feeding?”

In response, Taemin flipped him off Jongin and pressed him down into the sheets, mouthing along his ribs.

“How do you want us, love?” Jongin asked, casually licking his fingers clean of Luhan’s cum.

Still blissed out and pliant, Luhan found he didn’t particularly care beyond, “Make me feel good.”

Jongin and Taemin exchanged another look, before pinning him with equally lusty gazes. “How many times do you think you can come for us, darling?” Jongin asked, his eyes dancing. “Think you can manage twice more?”

Taemin’s hand cupped his dick, making it twitch. Around a gasp, Luhan said, “Depends on how well you fuck me, doesn’t it?”

The smile he got from Taemin was downright demonic. “I’ll do my best, love.”

Before he could dwell on that statement too much, Jongin was kissing him, drawing out low moans from Luhan as he overwhelmed his senses. He didn’t realize Taemin was lining up until a blunt pressure was pressing against him, the initial stretch making him gasp into Jongin’s mouth. His legs twitched in oversensitivity, electricity coursing through him.

“Guh,” was his intelligent response when Taemin asked if he was okay. “Yes, keep going,” he managed, when it was obvious Taemin wasn’t going to push in further until he said something.

Taemin’s fingers gripped at his hips, dragging down his thighs slowly as he finished pushing in. “You look so beautiful like this,” Taemin hummed, giving Luhan a moment to adjust around him. His eyes were molten gold surrounded by a ring of glittering ruby, cheeks flushed from Luhan’s blood in his veins, fangs poking out over his bottom lip.

“Like what?”

“Like you belong to us.” Jongin spoke against his skin, lips working down to his collarbones.

Luhan threaded his fingers through Jongin’s hair, tightening his grip when Taemin shifted slightly, sending a jolt through him. “I do belong to you.”

“Ours,” Taemin growled, one hand coming down to tug at Luhan’s cock, handing the lube to Jongin once he’d gotten Luhan slick enough. Taemin started moving his hips in shallow thrusts, the slight rubbing against his prostate helping Luhan harden again.

He clenched down to get more of the electrifying friction where he wanted it, only to have Taemin lightly slap his thigh, stilling his movements until Luhan relaxed. “Not enough for you, baby?” His hand slowly stroked up his dick, tantalizing in the way it made him ache with need. “Nini, think you can help our little human out?”

Jongin hovered above him, shifting to straddle his torso while Taemin kept up the slow, relentless pace with his hips and hand. “I’m sure I’ll find a way to help him out, Tae.” He gasped as Jongin sank down around him, his fingers digging into Jongin’s thighs, feeling Jongin’s hands drag slowly down his ribs as he settled. “How’s that, wildcat?”

Luhan’s mouth moved soundlessly in what was probably a rather remarkable imitation of a fish out of water. “Good,” he finally managed, squirming as Taemin sank just that much deeper inside of him.

Jongin leaned forward, his mouth finding the most sensitive part of his neck. “You feel so perfect, baby,” he whispered, making Luhan shiver. Then, in one smooth motion, he sank his fangs into Luhan’s neck at the same time he started to roll his hips.

He _writhed_ beneath Jongin, so overwhelmed as pleasure ran rampant through his system, radiating from three different points. He clawed at Jongin’s back, groaning as he tried to focus on the sensation of being fucked while Jongin rode him, not to mention the warmth that flowed from where Jongin was eagerly drinking from his neck.

Luhan tilted his head, giving Jongin as much access as he could while Taemin matched his hips with Jongin’s, both working in perfect tandem. He wasn’t surprised at all when Jongin clenched around him as he dug his teeth in deeper, the combined sensations making him come with a rapturous shout.

“Well done, Nini,” Taemin praised, letting go of Luhan’s hip long enough to run an admiring hand down the muscles of Jongin’s back. He was still moving his hips torturously slow, drawing out Luhan’s second orgasm while Jongin continued to feed at his neck.

Luhan squirmed, his toes curling as the waves of pleasure slowly eroded away at his coherency, sinking shaking fingers into Jongin’s hair as he came down, trying to breathe as Jongin took more and more blood. More than he ever had before, his head beginning to feel light. “I feel all floaty,” he sighed as Taemin stroked past his prostate twice with thrusts sharp enough to punch air from his lungs.

Jongin shifted, letting Luhan slip out of him. He pulled away from Luhan’s neck, lips and chin covered in his blood. “Okay, Lu?”

He was so overwhelmed that it took a moment to register that Jongin wasn’t at his neck any longer, the sensations Taemin was wringing from his body consuming him in ways that made it hard to think. “It’s working, I think,” he said, summoning his voice from somewhere that felt far away. “My toes are going a bit numb.”

“Do you need us to stop?” Taemin sounded concerned, his hips stopping.

Luhan blinked slowly, trying to make Taemin come into focus through the haze of pleasure. “No. Keep going.”

Jongin licked his lips. “We’ve passed the point of no return,” he remarked softly. “I’ve taken too much from him.”

Taemin’s hips stopped. “Jongin, hold him from behind.”

Luhan was jostled, whining when Taemin slid out of him as he was moved, until he was resting against the warmth of Jongin’s chest. Taemin pressed back into him, their faces inches apart. “Hello, my love.”

Jongin’s hands were roaming across his chest and stomach, teasing his nipples, tugging occasionally at his twitching and sensitive dick. Taemin hitched one of his legs around his hip, the other coming up to encourage the way Luhan’s head was starting to loll back onto Jongin’s shoulder.

He understood why, when they both bit down on opposite sides of his neck, Taemin’s hips working faster now. Luhan flailed weakly, trying to get his arms around Taemin’s neck to steady himself, but they were so _heavy,_ and it was easier to relax against them and surrender to the pleasure.

It was sensory overload. Between their teeth, Taemin’s cock and the relentless pace he was setting now, and Jongin’s hands all over his body, Luhan was quickly consumed by a deep, aching bliss.

All at once, Luhan tipped over the edge, falling into a pleasure-filled oblivion. 

***

When Luhan blinked awake, it took a moment until his eyes could focus. Jongin and Taemin were hovering anxiously above him, their eyes tight with worry. Their features were incredibly sharp, cleanly defined in ways his human eyes hadn’t been capable of. The world around him was quiet, still, and then he realized he couldn’t hear his heartbeat.

Luhan blinked up at two pairs of golden eyes and smiled, feeling new teeth poking through his gums and getting sharper by the moment.

“Welcome to your new life, love.”

**Author's Note:**

> Taemin, fondly: Hey Nini, remember that time when we literally fucked Luhan to death?  
Jongin, giggling: yes ^^  
Luhan: that was like, two decades ago why is it still funny?
> 
> A huge, incredible thank you to everyone who put up with me this summer while I wrote this monster (heh) of a fic. Most notably: Han, who presented me with the cursed idea of hunter luhan and vampire jongin and lovingly bothered me until it was a full fledged outline; Aria, whose endless praise fueled me onward even when i didn't want to write; Cinny, who left me so many snarky and hilarious comments that it made me take myself less seriously, and therefore made the home stretch so much easier; and Anne, who caught a massive error that would have ruined this fic, and also cheered me across the finish line. Couldn't have done it without you lovelies <3
> 
> As always, please drop a comment and kudos!! I love being fed nom nom


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